The flames - Sophie Haydock

'Fascinating & compelling. I loved all four women' ELODIE HARPER, author of THE WOLF DEN

'MAGNIFICENT...It's simply too good' KATIE LOWE, author of THE FURIES

'Utterly compelling' KIRAN MILLWOOD HARGRAVE, author of THE MERCIES

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Vienna at the dawn of the 20th century. An opulent, extravagant city teeming with art, music and radical ideas. A place where the social elite attend glamorous balls in the city's palaces whilst young intellectuals decry the empire across the tables of crowded cafes. It is a city where anything seems possible - if you are a man.


Edith and Adele are sisters, the daughters of a wealthy bourgeois industrialist. They are expected to follow the rules, to marry well, and produce children. Gertrude is in thrall to her flamboyant older brother. Marked by a traumatic childhood, she envies the freedom he so readily commands. Vally was born into poverty but is making her way in the world as a model for the eminent artist Gustav Klimt.


None of these women is quite what they seem. Fierce, passionate and determined, they want to defy convention and forge their own path. But their lives are set on a collision course when they become entangled with the controversial young artist Egon Schiele whose work - and private life - are sending shockwaves through Vienna's elite. All it will take is a single act of betrayal to change everything for them all. Because just as a flame has the power to mesmerize, it can also destroy everything in its path...

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'Glorious' Guardian

'Intoxicating and evocative...full of controversy and drama. We loved it' Woman & Home

'Thought provoking and illuminating - I so enjoyed discovering the world and the women behind works of art I adore' KATE SAWYER, author of THE STRANDING

'An exquisite sense of place and era with a passion and sensuality that transcend time altogether.' ISABEL COSTELLO, author of SCENT

'Confident...urgent...illuminating' Sunday Times

'Impressive' The Times

'A stunning story of love, art and betrayal' RED magazine

'Full of scandal, love, betrayal, and heartache' Cosmopolitan

'Mesmerising' Good Housekeeping

'A drama of love, loss, rivalry and betrayal. A terrific debut, brilliantly imagined' Saga Debut of the Month

'An unforgettable book about wanting more for ourselves than we are told we are allowed' Ericka Waller, author of Dog Days