The Flames by Sophie Haydock

Synopsis
This is the story of four muses…Women whose bodies were shown in intimate detail, depicted by the charming yet controversial artist Egon Schiele. But who were they?

ADELE: his passionate and fierce admirer.
GERTRUDE: his spirited and possessive sister.
VALLY: his independent and proud model.
EDITH: Adele’s quiet and conventional sister. Or was she?

The Flames reimagines the intertwining lives of these women: four wild, blazing hearts, longing to be known. In an elegant bohemian city like 1900s Vienna, everything seems possible. But just as a flame has the power to mesmerize, it can also destroy everything in its path …

Review

The Flames is a piece of fiction inspired by the works of Expressionist artist Egon Schiele, and more importantly four of his muses; Adele Harms, Edith Harms, Gertrude Schiele and Walburga Neuzil (Vally). Whilst Schiele saw them primarily as his models, to enable his art work and understanding of the female form, they were women in their own right, with their own stories to tell. Sophie Haydock imagines the life of these women, capturing their dreams and passions against the backdrop of early twentieth century Vienna.

I have come across several works of Egon Schiele over the years and in my degree course. As an artist he was seens as radical in his portrayal of women, capturing their sexuality and sensuality; some even compared it to pornography labelling Schiele as depraved. In relation to this, his models were seen as prostitutes, selling their bodies and letting Schiele paint them is such an erotic way. But these women were strong, independent and comfortable with their sexuality. Their lives make fascinating and compelling reading, and by the end of the book I felt I knew them personally. My favorite was Vally, a former model for Schiele’s mentor Gustav Klimt. She came from an impoverished background, having to share a bed with her two sisters, and used the money from her modelling to help her mother. Whilst only young, she is a passionate and independent women, and incredibly loyal to Schiele even when he finds himself in prison. I felt she was the only one to stand up to Schiele, not willing to just be his mistress after four years together. An intriguing relationship was that of Adele and Edith Harms. These sisters were very different in personality, Adele passionate, independent and headstrong, she knew what she wanted and that was Schiele. Edith was more sensible, quiet, and more conservative but underneath also goes after what she wants. After a betrayal, both sister find their world and realtionship changed forever. Finally their is Gertrude, Schiele’s younger sister and his first muse. She idolises her brother, bordering on possessiveness and jealousy of others in his life. Through her story Schiele’s strict childhood is revealed, how his art was forbidden by his father. All these women love Schilel in their own way, with passion, but he just sees them for their bodies, their sexuality and ultimatley how they can help him capture the female form.

It is hard to believe this is Sophie Haydock’s debut novel, the writing flows so easily, and kept my attention throughout. She seamlessly blends fact and fiction, showing her depth of knowledge both of the historical period, the art of Egon Schiele and the four women who were his inspiration. The early twentieth century saw the outbreak of the First World War and as a result the break up of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. I really enjoyed learning more about how the War effected the citizens of the Empire, where the higher classes soon lost much of their wealth and status, and how Schiele and Vally both played their part. I thought it a brilliant idea to include a copy of Schiele’s portraits at the beginning of each section of the book so I could identify each of the women, see what they looked like, making their story more personal.

The Flames is a book that will stay with me for a long time. The stories of these four, beautiful, independent women were fascinating. All were loyal to Schiele, loved him passionately but also wanted to be more that just his models, more than just their body, wanting to be loved back for who they were. I also enjoyed learning more about Schiele himself, his passion for his art and capturing the female form, his self belief, and how he was seen by his contemporaries. Sophie Haydock captures the zeitgeist of this period, the changing landscape of Europe, the effects of the War and how art was perceived. This accomplishmed debut has scandal, love, loss and betrayal and a cast of memorble characters; a stunning read.

I would like to thank DoubleDay Books and Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for my invite to be part of the blog tour for this book in return for my honest review.