On France''s golden Riviera, the wife of an artist gives him an ultimatum: her or me... '' Deliciously immers ive. . . I took Madame Matisse on a wet, grey holiday and it swept me into a world of startling, splashy colour'' Spectator ''An immersive tale of muses, betrayal, sex and bad behaviour '' Daily Mail This is the story of three women - one a Russian orphan and refugee who finds a place in the studio of a famous French artist, the other a wife and mother who has stood by her husband for nearly forty years. The third is his daughter, caught in the crossfire between her mother and a father she adores. Set in Paris and on the dazzling French Riviera, a place where film starlets, artists and gangsters rub shoulders, this is a story about ambition, passion and divided loyalties. Because the pursuit of great art always comes at a cost... ''A stunning act of literary, historical and artistic reimagining, woven with incredible skill - and so beautifully written. It will stay with me for a long while'' Donal Ryan * What readers say: ''Well I adored this. Beautiful and resilient female characters that came to life off the page vividly and passionately. A sweeping story spanning the years that was addictive and intriguing . ''Features lush, evocative pros e that draws readers into the emotional depths of its characters'' ''A triumph ... this novel is a must-read for fans of historical fiction, art history, and anyone captivated by the voices of women long silenced by history.'' ''This epic tale takes us from the narrow, dirty streets of Paris to the days of the Russian Revolution, with some time in China, to the hot French Riviera of the 1930s and the French Resistance of World War II. It is rich, it is beautiful and on more than one occasion it made me cry'' ''The scope of this book is terrific. The writing is superb . The characters are totally, utterly believable, with all their biases and peccadilloes'' ''An extraordinary story, about Henri Matisse and his work of course, but more-so these three remarkable, resilient women'' ''Once again, Sophie Haydock claims the lead in my Book of the Year listing. I loved it'' ...

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Sophie Haydock is an author, editor and journalist (Sunday Times, Financial Times, Guardian), based in Folkestone, Kent, where she is curator of Folkestone Book Festival. Her debut, The Flames - about the women who posed for the scandalous artist Egon Schiele in Vienna a century ago - was named by the Times as one of the Best Historical Fiction Books of 2022. It was longlisted for the HWA Debut Crown Award, and the Italian translation, Le Fiamme, won the Premio Letterario Edoardo Kihlgren for debut novels. She worked for the Sunday Times Short Story Award and is associate director of the Word Factory. Her Instagram @egonschieleswomen has 110,000 followers. Visit: sophie-haydock.com