The Flames

MAGNIFICENT. Feels destined to be a classic - exquisitely crafted and so absorbing. I loved it and REFUSE to accept it is a debut. It's simply too good.

Katie Lowe, author of The Furies

Thought provoking and illuminating and a fascinating - I so enjoyed discovering the world and the women behind works of art I adore.

Kate Sawyer, author of The Stranding

The four women who loved Schiele come back to life, combining an exquisite sense of place and era with a passion and sensuality that transcend time altogether.

Isabel Costello, author of Scent

'I knew nothing of Egon Schiele. I'm now obsessed, and heartbroken for all four women. An unforgettable book about wanting more for ourselves than we are told we are allowed.'

Ericka Waller, author of Dog Days

Readers are going to fall very hard for this one.

Sue Rainsford, author of Redder Days

'In The Flames, Haydock turns a forensic eye on the loves, fears, hopes, and heartbreaks of four extraordinary women who might otherwise have been swallowed by history...a beautiful and timely narrative, which focuses its lens on the closest details to reveal an understanding of the most profound human emotions and behaviour.'

Costa shortlisted novelist, Rebecca F John

We learn more about great figures in time by watching the spaces around them. The Flames paints a history so detailed and vivid that we feel we were there in the flesh. A book to get lost in, a great feat of a debut.

Booker Prize winner, DBC Pierre

Completely convincing and utterly compelling, THE FLAMES gives vivid voice to four muses who refuse to be remembered as just that. Haydock is a writer to watch.

Kiran Millwood Hargrave, author of The Mercies

'Full of scandal, love, betrayal, and heartache ... Adele, Gertrude, Vally and Edith are given voices loud and clear'

Cosmopolitan

Enthralling and utterly captivating! Sophie's prose is as evocative and beguiling a the stories it tells. Prepare for The Flames to become your next obsession.

Laure van Rensburg, author of Nobody But Us

'A reimaging of the lives of artist Egon Schiele's four female 'muses' it is both fascinating and compelling. I loved all four women...and the final scenes with Egon himself were truly extraordinary.'

Elodie Harper, author of The Wolf Den

The untold stories of four women depicted in the paintings of artist Egon Schiele ... are brought to life in this mesmerising debut... movingly told'

Good Housekeeping

'Exhilarating... a dynamic, vivid debut pulled off with considerable élan'

Mail on Sunday

A stunning story of love, art and betrayal

RED magazine

An intoxicating and evocative read full of controversy and drama. We loved it.

Woman and Home

Confident...urgent...illuminating: you will never again look at Schiele's vivid portraits without wondering about his subjects' lives beyond the frame.

SUNDAY TIMES

An intoxicating and evocative read

Woman's Weekly

Enlightening and impeccably researched ... Haydock perfectly captures the spirit of the era. [The Flames] is moving, illuminating and evocative

Culturefly

A drama of love, loss, rivalry and betrayal. A terrific debut, brilliantly imagined.

SAGA Debut of the Month

Impressive...one of the great joys of reading The Flames is looking again at the women's portraits and letting them be animated by Haydock's careful, vibrant animation

The Times

As a feminist reworking of Schiele's story, and as an exercise in redressing historical injustice, this novel is a glorious success. Haydock ensures that these women emerge from behind Schiele's gaze, and she also uses them to illuminate a period of seismic change... an impressive and highly enjoyable debut.

GUARDIAN

For anyone who enjoyed Girl with a Pearl Earring, Sophie Haydock's debut novel will delight and entertain....an intoxicating and evocative read full of controversy and drama. We loved it.

Woman

Story by story, woman by woman, The Flames is kindled by mystery, desire, and Haydock's own resonant prose.

Alison MacLeod, Booker longlisted author of Unexploded

Absolutely loved this one....As rich, dark and delicious as a piece of Sachertorte.

Julie Owen Moylan, author of That Green Eyed Girl

Fascination and authenticity shines through on every page...the prose is light and fluid and reads like a contemporary novel.

Katie Khan, author of Hold Back the Stars

Each of the muses had an extraordinary story to tell... I was utterly absorbed from beginning to end.

Annie Kirby, author of The Hollow Sea

In Sophie Haydock's impressive debut these women leap from Schiele's canvases, becoming fascinating and complex characters.

THE TIMES, 'Best historical fiction books of 2022'