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The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper Paperback – Illustrated, March 3, 2020
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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.
- Print length368 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherMariner Books
- Publication dateMarch 3, 2020
- Dimensions5.31 x 0.94 x 8 inches
- ISBN-100358299616
- ISBN-13978-0358299615
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What's it about?
This book is about five women who were murdered in 1888 by an unidentified killer, and how the press created a fictional character that became more famous than the victims.Popular highlight
The fibers that have clung to and defined the shape of Polly, Annie, Elisabeth, Kate, and Mary Jane’s stories are the values of the Victorian world. They are male, authoritarian, and middle class. They were formed at a time when women had no voice, and few rights, and the poor were considered lazy and degenerate: to have been both of these things was one of the worst possible combinations.650 Kindle readers highlighted thisPopular highlight
While a man could divorce his wife for a sexual liaison outside the marital bed, a woman had to prove her husband was guilty of adultery in addition to another crime, such as incest, rape, or cruelty.533 Kindle readers highlighted thisPopular highlight
Jack the Ripper killed prostitutes, or so it has always been believed, but there is no hard evidence to suggest that three of his five victims were prostitutes at all.511 Kindle readers highlighted thisPopular highlight
At times the coroner’s inquest became a moral investigation of Polly Nichols herself, as if the hearing was held in part to determine whether her behavior warranted her fate.387 Kindle readers highlighted thisPopular highlight
Within laboring communities, the social stigma of time spent at the workhouse was so great that many would rather beg, sleep rough, or become a prostitute than place themselves at the mercy of this institution.343 Kindle readers highlighted this
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Editorial Reviews
Review
A New York Times Book Review ‘Summer Reading Best True Crime’ A Washington Post ‘20 Books to Read This Summer’ An Oprah.com ‘20 Best True Crime Books That’ll Make You Want to Sleep With the Lights On’ “Rubenhold has produced a significant study of how poor and working-class women subsisted in an unforgiving age.”—The New York Times Book Review “Hallie Rubenhold’s hard-edged, heartbreaking biographies of the five women killed by Jack the Ripper over two months in 1888 offer a blistering counter-narrative to the ‘male, authoritarian, and middle class’ legend of a demonic superman preying on prostitutes… Her riveting work, both compassionate group portrait and stinging social history, finally gives them their due.”—The Washington Post “The five London women murdered by Jack the Ripper, in 1888, were long assumed to be prostitutes. This history shows otherwise, presenting deeply researched portraits of the victims as they lived: they were all poor, some to the point of homelessness; they were all apparently killed while asleep; and, with one exception, they were known by family and acquaintances not to be prostitutes. Each had a distinct story that has never been fully or truthfully told. Why Victorians preferred to embrace the myth is one question that guides the book; why we continue to do so is another.”—The New Yorker “All too often, murder victims’ stories are relegated to the footnotes of history, overshadowed by not only their violent ends, but the looming specter of their killers. In The Five, historian Hallie Rubenhold sets out to correct this imbalance, placing the focus on [the victims] rather than the still-unidentified serial killer who ended their lives in 1888.”—Smithsonian “An effort to remedy the Ripper imbalance.”—Time “A must for Ripperologists.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review “Essential to students of Ripperiana.”—Kirkus Reviews “Focusing on [the victims] backstories rather than the forensic details of their deaths, Rubenhold puts them back into their larger social context.”—Jezebel “Jack the Ripper continues to be a mystery, but these women are now less so.”—Bust “Rubenhold does a commendable job in bringing these women on stage and through their stories illuminating the appalling reality behind the veneer of Victorian complacency. For these women, and millions like them, life in Victorian England was not an episode of Masterpiece Theater.”—New York Journal of Books “The Five is a long-overdue investigation that shines the spotlight on [the victims], giving context to who they were and what circumstances molded their lives.”—Hypable “At last, the Ripper's victims get a voice...An eloquent, stirring challenge to reject the prevailing Ripper myth." —The Mail on Sunday “[A]n angry and important work of historical detection…The Five is not simply about the women who were murdered in Whitechapel in the autumn of 1888: it is for them. This is a powerful and a shaming book, but most shameful of all is that it took 130 years to write.” —The Guardian "A remarkable feat of d —
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Mariner Books; Reprint edition (March 3, 2020)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 368 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0358299616
- ISBN-13 : 978-0358299615
- Item Weight : 2.31 pounds
- Dimensions : 5.31 x 0.94 x 8 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #45,357 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #25 in England History
- #28 in Historical British Biographies
- #108 in Serial Killers True Accounts
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
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Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book fascinating and daunting. They also appreciate the incredibly thorough research and writing style that makes the women relatable. Readers describe the emotional impact as real and eye opening. They find the theme insightful and interesting. Customers also say the author does an excellent job revealing the sad humanity of the victims.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book well-written, fascinating, and excellent for book clubs. They also say it presents a remarkable volume of history, psychology, and social commentary. Readers also say the book is the finest work of revisionist history they have ever read and a fascinating look at London society.
"...I encourage you to read it and discuss it. It is an excellent book club choice." Read more
"...Well written, interesting, informative -- but a tad out of focus." Read more
"...It also presents a fascinating look at London society, history, and women's rights during this time...." Read more
"Stunning backstory about Jack the Ripper’s victims. A great historical review of London in the late 1800s. The haves and the have nots...." Read more
Customers find the book incredibly thorough, well documented, and well written. They also appreciate the endnotes and explanatory footnotes. Readers describe the book as wonderful for Ripperologists or anyone interested in Victorian London.
"...I would recommend the book in either form. It was as fascinating as it was informative. True crime stories can be difficult to listen to...." Read more
"...Well written, interesting, informative -- but a tad out of focus." Read more
"...This is a wonderful book for Ripperologists or anyone interested in Victorian London...." Read more
"...I was amazed by the amount of information that was included here about the women: their early lives, families, starting situations in life, and the..." Read more
Customers find the writing style well-written, thoughtful, and sympathetic. They also say the book is well researched and woven together in stories filled with realistic portrayals.
"...Well written, interesting, informative -- but a tad out of focus." Read more
"...life in all its parts, birth to death, with research, respect for the subject and compassion...." Read more
"...I could tell it was going to be good. I found it extremely empathic, compassionate and comprehensive, delving into the very personal lives of the..." Read more
"...Though brilliantly well-researched and written, I found it emotionally hard work as the sad tales of these women unfold in detail, importantly..." Read more
Customers find the book an eye opening read with a unique perspective. They also describe the book as a complete look at the city of London at that time. Readers also mention that the book draws them in with detailed descriptions. They say the style is engaging with endnotes and explanatory footnotes.
"...I found this perspective so very unique...." Read more
"...This book, well researched and documented, does an amazing job of bringing to light who these women were even if it by necessity is imperfect...." Read more
"...The result was glorious, and to many, eye opening. It challenged perceptions both past, and present...." Read more
"...it was a great enjoyable read, but it was quite educational and made me open my eyes I never even thought of the victims of Jack the Ripper except I..." Read more
Customers find the theme insightful, fascinating, and brilliantly narrated. They also say the book adds another layer to the gruesome story of Jack the Ripper. Customers also say it's wonderful to see their lives honored and that the book is punishing apt.
"...'s library: a long-overdue, thoroughly-researched and brilliantly-narrated reconstruction of the lives of the five 'canonical' victims of the still..." Read more
"...The author does a wonderful job delving into their lives, what hopes they may have had, their children and spouses, the terrible way women were..." Read more
"...the book that can be a little dull, but overall it's an insightful account of the lives of these five women." Read more
"I thought the book was well written and offered a fair and mature narrative for all of the victims. Their flaws were put on display but not mocked...." Read more
Customers find the book excellent, poignant, and comprehensive, revealing the sad humanity of the victims. They also say it's fascinating and sad look at the lives and deaths of the five women.
"...Rubenhold has done an excellent job of revealing the sad humanity of the victims and how they came to be the subjects of books, movies, and..." Read more
"...What emerges is a remarkable volume of history, psychology, and social commentary unlike anything else seen on this topic...." Read more
"...It is not a joyful read as the lives of these women were hard, unfair and troubled from the start but it is an interesting read, that allows you to..." Read more
"...it extremely empathic, compassionate and comprehensive, delving into the very personal lives of the five women, going back to even their parents'..." Read more
Customers find the book gives great detail about actual living, with sympathetic yet realistic portrayals. They also appreciate the images of beauty and comfort.
"...These are considered images of beauty and comfort, but in reality, for the lower classes, the London of this era was nothing that belongs on a..." Read more
"...A beautiful and sad portrait of working poor women of London in the 1880s." Read more
"...The author's scholarship and attention to detail is incredible, while her lack of presumption about the "facts" of the cases is commendable...." Read more
"The author does an excellent job of depicting late Victorian society and the fragility of working class social status...." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the content. Some find it one of the best true crime books they have ever read, while others say it's boring and a waste of money.
"...This book is not worth your money or time...." Read more
"One of the best true crime books I have ever read. Anyone who says the are interested in true crime should read this book." Read more
"...about the 5 women who were killed by Jack the Ripper but I got a very boring, over detailed, middle school essay, with a long boring “storyline”...." Read more
"A thoroughly disappointing book...." Read more
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Each woman had a life beyond what they were, for centuries, remembered for. They had childhoods. They had family and friends. Life experiences that played a big part in what they became famous for. Life has never been gentle for women. It has made me laugh whenever I would hear woman called, “the weaker sex.” We bear children. We have overcome difficulties that are exhausting just to read of. We have been held back, valued less, yet trusted with the future, (historically who has had the responsibility of child raising and what is the future without children who grow into adults?). But we were the weaker ones. Okay. As I listened, and read, this book, of what a woman’s life was like back then, I admired these “fallen women,” who kept moving forward no matter what they had to do to survive the day.
I listened to this book on Audible. It was narrated by Louise Brealey, who did an awesome job. I also read the Kindle book. There were some slight changes in wording that made it difficult to read along as you listen. It was easy, though, to switch between listening and reading. I would recommend the book in either form. It was as fascinating as it was informative. True crime stories can be difficult to listen to. They can also be boring. This book was neither of those. I encourage you to read it and discuss it. It is an excellent book club choice.
The more preeminent feature of these five, was neither turning tricks nor boozing; it was what the Americans call flakiness -- their decision-making apparatus was thoroughly defective and it is not surprising that they ended up at the mercy of Jack Ripper. Had they had a grain of sense I doubt that they would have met their maker in such a horrendous way.
For example there is Polly Nichols. The readers can read for themselves what she went through on the pitiless streets and in the hellish workhouses and surely if she'd had an iota of rational thinking she would have said to herself that anything was better than that. A normal person would surely be eager to escape such circumstances, which given the poor state of primitive economies and the lack of opportunity, particularly for women, would be difficult and any stroke of luck should have been avidly accepted and any chance taken.
Lo and behold, something does finally go Polly's way and she finds herself placed in a job that gave her what you would think was everything she would want: shelter, food, warmth, companionship, her own room, even money. This placement would seem like paradise compared with what had gone before and one would expect her to vow, like Scarlett O'Hara to "never go hungry again".
But what does she do? She takes what she owns and a few things she doesn't and repairs to where else -- the pub -- thus cutting all ties and voluntarily returning to where she started, without gratitude, and certainly without a plan.
Of course such ill-thought out steps can only go one way -- down, and she soon, and inevitably, urinates what little she has away; her paltry reserves don't last long in an establishment that only takes.
Prostitution or no prostitution doesn't hide the fact that Polly and her fellow victims lack any trace of common sense and yes, we've heard that it's the alcohol that does it! Well, we're all exposed to the temptation of alcohol but we don't all get destroyed by it. It needs something else -- flakiness! Even where these ladies get temporarily clean they don't take the appropriate care to stay that way.
Their karma just spells doom. Anyone, albeit female, poor, under-privileged, with a bit of common sense would probably not end up alone with Mr. Ripper. This may seem a bit flippant but these girls seem moribund from day one. The problems the author would like to blame don't quite cut it, but she herself is so blinded by her chosen obsession that the book is as much about the writer than it is "the five".
Well written, interesting, informative -- but a tad out of focus.
Top reviews from other countries
Can't really recommend this book highly enough. Fascinating from first page to last, especially as social history, this is a window into the lives of the five "canonical" victims of the Whitechapel murderer which brings all of the women out of the fog, grime and muck they're normally left in to live, breathe and tell their stories in the light.
Just brilliant.