love it love it

I have been waiting forever it seems for a biography about the victims of Jacky boy. So interesting, moving and beautiful the way these woman lived. Their lives mattered no matter where they came from or how they lived. R.I.P. FIVE P. A. E. C.M

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Such an Education!!!!

The biggest crime these people had was being a woman…..horrible outcomes from being abandoned!! With children no less. Not well protected by anyone, no where to go, no one to help….God Bless them…..

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Blown away by the amazing details

This author is amazing. She took the mundane and made it interesting. She also was very dedicated to making this book about the women and very little discussed about the Ripper. This book is likely to be the best book I read for the year 2022!

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Stories that needed to be told

This book was excellent. You don't have to be a true crime aficionado to be fascinated with the story of Jack the Ripper, and to have watched tv shows and read books about his crimes, over the years. The problem with all those shows and books, to date, has been that they have focused on the criminal. Most of them are speculations about his identity, and retellings of the crimes and investigations from the perspective of the authorities at the time.

The author, Hallie Rubenhold, is a historian who has taken a different angle. She has investigated the backgrounds of the five women whose murders were attributed to the Ripper. It has been a broad assumption that these five women were prostitutes, and were hired or lured by the Ripper as such, before being murdered. In a way, this has always placed some blame on these women. Rubenhold's research show us that three of the women were wives and mothers who had been afflicted with addictions and were "sleeping rough" on the streets, due to lack of a home or financial ability. Only two of the women were prostitutes. This also does not mean they held any responsibility for their own murders.

Rubenhold's research into the times illuminates the rampant misogyny of the day. Women only held worth if they were wives and mothers. There was no honorable work available to them that would allow them to make a living on their own. Their fate was in the hands of men; their fathers or husbands. Women could not sleep with anyone who was not their husband, yet their husbands could carry on with other women without judgement. If a husband committed adultery, his wife could not obtain a legal separation unless it could be *proven* that the husband *also* committed incest or severe sexual or physical abuse in the home. However, a man could legally separate from his wife by simply stating that he was pretty sure she had been committing adultery. What a world that must have been. I thank my lucky stars I live in the 21st century.

The five women murdered in such a hideous manner by the Ripper (the author does not delve into the actual murders and investigations as there are plenty of resources on this topic already) were all human beings with families and friends who loved them. Some of them had husbands and children. They had fallen onto hard times in a society that already considered them to be lesser beings. They had no chance on the streets and even less of a chance in the media at the time. A shame.

The narrator was very good.

Recommended for people interested in Jack the Ripper and/or Victorian England.

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Informative

I’m very pleased with this book. It gives the reader a more complete understanding of the period when the murders took place Also, it gives the victims centre stage and drives home the fact that they were people. I learned a lot about what their lives were like.
This is a must read.

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Absolutely brilliant read!

This was an absolutely brilliant read! I strongly recommend this to anyone interested in Jack the Ripper, as this focuses on the victims and their real backgrounds rather than the sensationalism of the killings. What a great read!

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Bingeworthy

A fascinating and informative look at Victorian society with a hint of true crime. Incredibly well-written and researched, with beautiful narration. Very easy to listen to. I consider myself to be fairly well educated on the Ripper case, and this book provides such an insightful look at the women who are just names and victims in most literature on the subject. It also gives a brutally accurate depiction of the lives of the working class and the impoverished from the mid-late 19th century. I could not stop listening to this one - I was hooked from the first chapter.

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5 women who finally get to show us who they were

The author painted a very detailed picture of, not only the lives of the five women who were killed by Jack the Ripper, but also the era in which they lived, loved, survived and ultimately died. The research required to tease out the details for tracing the footsteps of these women was remarkable. Thank you Hallie for bringing these women to life and giving them a voice.

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The Victims are Finally Given Their Voices

Nothing negative about the book itself! Fabulous research, the women’s stories feel as personal as possible given how little unadulterated fact may exist about their lives, and without too much conjecture when necessary to fill in the gaps or assume motive. The conclusion is perfection; it makes the purpose of the book perfectly clear and is a wonderful cap on the experience, bringing some emotional catharsis to a somewhat depressing reading experience. (Not depressing in a negative sense! Just, based on the way these women’s lives were punished by society and cruelly ended, you can’t help but be furious and deeply saddened.)
However, I read this alongside listening to the audiobook, and notes at the bottom of a number of pages are not read out loud here. They appear to be omitted entirely. Not all the notes are essential but some clarify small details, and it’s a bit odd that they seem to be removed completely.

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Fabulous look at real Victorian life

Wonderful writing and a great look at what Victorian life was really like for many. Hallie’s writing makes you genuinely feel sad for these women, the struggles and social pressures they endured. Wonderful book, and I can’t wait to read her next one!

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3 people found this helpful