The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper
Winner of the Baillie Gifford Prize for Nonfiction and of the Goodreads Choice Award for History & Biography
The award-winning, best-selling book that changes the narrative of the “Ripper” murders forever
Polly, Annie, Elisabeth, Catherine, and Mary Jane are famous for the same thing, though they never met. They came from some of London’s wealthiest and poorest neighborhoods, from the factory towns of middle England, and from Wales and Sweden. They wrote ballads, ran coffeehouses, lived on country estates; they breathed ink dust from printing presses and escaped human traffickers.
What they had in common was the year of their murders: 1888. The person responsible was never identified, but the character created by the press to fill that gap has become far more famous than any of these five women. Now, in this gripping narrative of five lives, Hallie Rubenhold finally sets the record straight and gives these women back their stories.
The award-winning, best-selling book that changes the narrative of the “Ripper” murders forever
Polly, Annie, Elisabeth, Catherine, and Mary Jane are famous for the same thing, though they never met. They came from some of London’s wealthiest and poorest neighborhoods, from the factory towns of middle England, and from Wales and Sweden. They wrote ballads, ran coffeehouses, lived on country estates; they breathed ink dust from printing presses and escaped human traffickers.
What they had in common was the year of their murders: 1888. The person responsible was never identified, but the character created by the press to fill that gap has become far more famous than any of these five women. Now, in this gripping narrative of five lives, Hallie Rubenhold finally sets the record straight and gives these women back their stories.
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Readers say *The Five* offers a compassionate, deeply researched portrayal that challenges myths and Victorian-era misogyny, restoring the women’s ide...
This was a lot of information and historical storytelling. I learned about so many people that I don’t know if I could even name the fove women this is supposed to be about. I truly appreciate the I tension of this book - to bring to life the real lives of the women murdered by Jack the Ripper and not to perpetuate the false narrative surrounding their murders.
This felt like a huge data dump that struggled to sort itself out or trim the excess. Some parts seemed to go full steam into, what felt like, a major side story and by the time the author circled back, I had already forgotten whose life I was learning about.
What I appreciated most about this book though, was that the author refused to take liberties with the details of these women’s lives. There were no fictional tales to fill in the blank spaces or gaps in the timelines. She tried to stay very true to the experiences, facts, documented records, and historical laws that existed.
This is a great book! Delving into the history of the five women's lives, it tells their story, of poverty and trying to survive in Victorian times. Discounting the labels of prostitute that the authorities and press placed on them when they were brutally murdered by the monster we call "Jack the Ripper".
Exhaustive description of every detail of life of the 5 women that have been attributed to Jack the Ripper's victims. Highlights the misleading labeling of these women as "prostitutes." Fascinating that these women were so quickly given this label even though there were many indications that this was not exactly the case.
Fascinating and thought provoking delve into the lives of the victims. History has dismissed these five women, who were brutally murdered. This book dives into the lives of the women as well as the situations that led them to be in the path of the killer. It is not an easy journey, but it is relevant to our current lives. I particularly like the reference the author makes to the Brock rape case and how women are viewed, which has not changed all that much since the moralistic Victorian era. This book also excavates how poverty, especially for women, is a soul draining situation. The description of the lives of Victorian woman trapped in poverty is harrowing. The fact that history has labelled these five 'fallen women' because they were poor, as if they had a choice; only one of them was a confirmed prostitute. It was nice to see the victims of violent crimes given a voice instead of the murderer being romanticized.
Very thorough look at the upbringings and circumstances of the five women who eventually became the convenient targets of the predator known as Jack the Ripper. I see this as an important book and a very good reference for anyone looking to know more about the victims’ lives, but I wouldn’t necessarily call it a fun read.
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