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bookmaddie's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
i cried at the end :-( so sad
If you're in the mood for an immersive, lively historical fiction novel, this is for you! Traversing the years before and just after World War I, this story imagines the lives of some of the seminal women in Egon Schiele's life. Schiele was a seminal Austrian Expressionist artist, a follower of Gustav Klimt who constantly pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable to display as art. The four women that this story revolves around captured Schiele's imagination just as he captured theirs.
While the details of these women's lives are fuzzy, Haydock vibrantly colors in the lines that history has left behind. The short chapters and engaging, lively characters make this book one you can speed through—I found myself quickly turning pages as I rode the train to and from work. There is a fifth, contemporary perspective briefly used, and I think it could have been interesting to expand that woman's story just slightly. But honestly, I think this is a very well-balanced story that is bound to inspire and pull at your heartstrings. Schiele's work is magnificent, and I never knew his life was so fascinating (and unfortunately cut short too soon). The ending is absolutely heartbreaking, but the tears I shed speak to the life Haydock has injected into a story many never knew.
Thanks to the Overlook Press for my advanced digital copy.
If you're in the mood for an immersive, lively historical fiction novel, this is for you! Traversing the years before and just after World War I, this story imagines the lives of some of the seminal women in Egon Schiele's life. Schiele was a seminal Austrian Expressionist artist, a follower of Gustav Klimt who constantly pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable to display as art. The four women that this story revolves around captured Schiele's imagination just as he captured theirs.
While the details of these women's lives are fuzzy, Haydock vibrantly colors in the lines that history has left behind. The short chapters and engaging, lively characters make this book one you can speed through—I found myself quickly turning pages as I rode the train to and from work. There is a fifth, contemporary perspective briefly used, and I think it could have been interesting to expand that woman's story just slightly. But honestly, I think this is a very well-balanced story that is bound to inspire and pull at your heartstrings. Schiele's work is magnificent, and I never knew his life was so fascinating (and unfortunately cut short too soon). The ending is absolutely heartbreaking, but the tears I shed speak to the life Haydock has injected into a story many never knew.
Thanks to the Overlook Press for my advanced digital copy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Vomit, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and War
1918 Influenza Pandemic featured at end.linguaphile412's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Abortion, and Death of parent
Moderate: Confinement, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Incest, Infertility, Medical content, Grief, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and War
foxonabook's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I love books about women who have throughout history become a footnote despite, for example, being the subjects of famous works of art. In her debut novel Haydock brings to life Adele, Gertrude, Vally, and Edith, the four women who have inspired and modelled some of Egon Schiele''s most famous works, and through them we pice together Schiele's life.
Haydock has a very easy to read writing style which, combined with a compelling story, meant I finished the book in three sittings. I did, however, have a hard time getting into the book. I thought the opening scene was brilliant, hooking me immediately, but as soon as we got to Adele's flashback, I was struggling to connect with both the characters and the book. There are many time jumps, not just between chapters but also between scenes, and it's especially noticeable at the start with Adele and Gertrude's perspectives. It made the narrative feel stunted. The time jumps between chapters do start to make sense later on as the story evolves and we put together Schiele's timeline through the different women's perspectives and experiences, however within the chapters I felt that the scenes could be expanded upon and even connected by including more background and insight into the characters and setting.
Which brings me to the second thing that made it harder for me to connect with the book. I felt the start was very plot-driven with very little introspection. For example, at one point, a man grabs Adele's arm, preventing her from leaving, and although she says something angrily to him, two sentences later, it's like nothing happened to her. This lack of introspection continued throughout Gertrude's perspective as well, but thankfully by the time we reached Vally, the narrative does start to include her (and later Edith's) thoughts and reactions to the events happening to and around them. I am very much a lover of character driven books, so I am aware that this is more of a personal preference rather than a comment on the book itself.
What I enjoyed most about the book is the interconnectedness between the women -how each was affected by the other women's presence and influence on Schiele. However, with the exception of Adele and Edith (who are sisters), we don't really see much interaction between the women when their presence in Schiele's life overlapped, which I thought was a shame. It would have brought a richness to the story beyond just learning about how the women felt about one another from a distance.
All of the above notwithstanding, and as a massive credit to Haydock's writing, I really enjoyed this book. It was reminiscent in some way of the Song of Achilles, especially because I found myself staring into space while I processed the ending (not the epilogue, even though I loved how that tied everything up nicely, but the end to Schiele's section). My heart ached for the characters though I was comforted knowing that Adele got some closure.
Many thanks to NetGally, and especially Random House U.K., Transworld, Doubleday for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Final Rating: 3.5⭐️
Haydock has a very easy to read writing style which, combined with a compelling story, meant I finished the book in three sittings. I did, however, have a hard time getting into the book. I thought the opening scene was brilliant, hooking me immediately, but as soon as we got to Adele's flashback, I was struggling to connect with both the characters and the book. There are many time jumps, not just between chapters but also between scenes, and it's especially noticeable at the start with Adele and Gertrude's perspectives. It made the narrative feel stunted. The time jumps between chapters do start to make sense later on as the story evolves and we put together Schiele's timeline through the different women's perspectives and experiences, however within the chapters I felt that the scenes could be expanded upon and even connected by including more background and insight into the characters and setting.
Which brings me to the second thing that made it harder for me to connect with the book. I felt the start was very plot-driven with very little introspection. For example, at one point, a man grabs Adele's arm, preventing her from leaving, and although she says something angrily to him, two sentences later, it's like nothing happened to her. This lack of introspection continued throughout Gertrude's perspective as well, but thankfully by the time we reached Vally, the narrative does start to include her (and later Edith's) thoughts and reactions to the events happening to and around them. I am very much a lover of character driven books, so I am aware that this is more of a personal preference rather than a comment on the book itself.
What I enjoyed most about the book is the interconnectedness between the women -how each was affected by the other women's presence and influence on Schiele. However, with the exception of Adele and Edith (who are sisters), we don't really see much interaction between the women when their presence in Schiele's life overlapped, which I thought was a shame. It would have brought a richness to the story beyond just learning about how the women felt about one another from a distance.
All of the above notwithstanding, and as a massive credit to Haydock's writing, I really enjoyed this book. It was reminiscent in some way of the Song of Achilles, especially because I found myself staring into space while I processed the ending (not the epilogue, even though I loved how that tied everything up nicely, but the end to Schiele's section). My heart ached for the characters though I was comforted knowing that Adele got some closure.
Many thanks to NetGally, and especially Random House U.K., Transworld, Doubleday for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Final Rating: 3.5⭐️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Physical abuse
Minor: Self harm, Blood, and War