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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

'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.'

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.

'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.'

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

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

Readers are going to fall very hard for this one.

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.

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.

A stunning story of love, art and betrayal

'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.'

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.

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

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

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

An intoxicating and evocative read

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

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

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

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

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

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

Brilliant, funny, stomach-turningly accurate

Very funny, intense and exhilarating

A funny, thought-provoking revenge story. Elizabeth Zott is ahead of her time. This is such a great book, everyone should read it!

Garmus has made feminism not just palpable, but delicious

A truly involving and uplifting book! Bonnie Garmus addresses serious topics with humour that is genuinely funny. I especially liked the dog. Mine only appears to know one word, which is 'supper', but there again she is a Labrador. I'm sure this is going to be a great success, and deserves to be

This incredible novel has EVERYTHING - an unforgettable heroine, wry humour, love, family and bucketloads of optimism and female empowerment. It's WONDERFUL

An energetic debut ... A more adorable plea for rationalism and gender equality would be hard to find

Bold, smart and often hilarious look at so-called women's work

Charming and emboldening tale with a vintage sheen... A thoroughly entertaining and emboldened look at gender in the 1960s. A must read!

Garmus delivers an assured voice, an indelible heroine and relatable love stories

Elizabeth is a woman who challenges the norms of a woman in the 60s...her perseverance to succeed is enthralling. The fight to do what she really wants, and that alone, is one that'll have you rooting for her throughout

Indefatigable and formidable, Elizabeth pushes the bounds of how women and their work are perceived in this thoroughly engaging debut novel

A kicky debut, this book tackles feminism, resilience, and rationalism in a fun and refreshing way

Every bit as brilliant as everyone is saying. Funny, clever, full of heart and wonderful characters. I loved it

Unforgettable ... Elizabeth Zott is intelligent, fearless, determined and utterly inspiring

An absolute delight. Zott is a cracking protagonist - strikingly single-minded, socially awkward, fiercely determined to forge her own path

Witty, fast-paced and unabashedly amusing' Lessons in Chemistry is 'written with charm, verve and piercing insight ... a future classic

The best book I've read recently. I loved it

I loved it. You don't want to finish it. You don't want to put it down. It's wonderful to hear a voice that has total honesty and clarity. I love that Elizabeth Zott is funny and hasn't got a clue that she's funny

I loved everything about it. There were so many things I could relate to

i couldn't put it down. It was so easy to read: hilarious, heartfelt. With all of the issues that we are still dealing with right now. Heartbreaking and heartwarming in equal measure

Laugh-aloud funny, witty and provocative, LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY recreates the rampant sexism of America just before Betty Friedan's THE FEMININE MYSTIQUE and the bonfire of the bras

A funny, big-hearted read

I adored this confident, witty portrait of an unforgettable woman and her time

One of the smartest and funniest novels to appear this year

We guarantee you will love this charming debut

This smart, uproarious, emotional page-turner...has been the year's runaway hit. Rightly so

Irresistible, a gorgeous tribute to resilience and the many types of love that sustain us

Sharp and deliciously readable. Brings bite as well as charm to the tale of a super-rational scientist navigating sexism in early 60s America.

The idiosyncratic wit of this year's blockbuster debut is instantly appealing, but it's also a narrative with real bite. Uplifting and irresistibly zany

I fell for Elizabeth Zott immediately. A wonderfully entertaining and empowering read

A wonderful novel - polished, pacy, funny, witty, warm, life-affirming, and thought-provoking

Witty and sometimes hilarious. The CATCH-22 of early feminism

Enchanting, clever, funny and packed with deeply engaging characters. I still think about it a lot

As with all the best stories, there is a timelessness to this book. One senses it will be read in ten or twenty years' time

Biting and cheering in exactly the right measure

The TV cook bit hooked me right in and it did not disappoint. This book is Charming, witty and clever