Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold

5 reviews

yossy_cookie's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad slow-paced

3.5

An interesting look at the victims of Jack the Ripper. This is not true crime, there is nothing at all about the killings but this focuses on the lives of the women. It is an interesting insight into what life was like in Victorian London and the attention to detail is superb. It is, however, slow paced and quite heavy going 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Sexism, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Classism, Trafficking, Death, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Addiction, Murder, Misogyny, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment

mahmabaer's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense slow-paced

4.0

I enjoyed it for the most part and the author's basic theory

that all the women were not prostitutes

, does give one something to consider.  I do wish she hadn't been so heavyhanded in her attempt to find no blame towards the women themselves, as it makes it come across as if she is less interested in telling the stories of the five victims and more interested in proving her point.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, Sexual assault, Trafficking, Death, Emotional abuse, Dementia, Bullying, Death of parent, Addiction, Grief, Mental illness, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Abortion, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Murder, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Violence

librarymouse's review against another edition

challenging informative sad medium-paced

4.5

This is a sincere and well-researched account of the lives of the five women killed by Jack the ripper. Hallie Rubenhold ensures their legacies with her diligent research and her focus on the lives of the women, over their gruesome and mythologized deaths. In contextualizing the sexual climate of the Victorian era, Rubenhold offers a vivid image of the nuanced worlds these women lived in, often so different from the straight laced Victorian England canonized today.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Dementia, Miscarriage, Sexism, Abandonment, Abortion, Addiction, Grief, Infidelity, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Pandemic/Epidemic, Police brutality, Alcoholism, Trafficking, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Forced institutionalization

Minor: Incest

98romantic's review against another edition

challenging informative sad tense medium-paced

4.75

So wonderful to see somebody attempt to reframe the Jack the Ripper story to be about the victims, rather than sensationalising the killers. Really cool information. I found it kind of long winded at points, and was more interested in some women over others, but it was great overall.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Sexual content, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Confinement and Abandonment

olivianw's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

A fantastic book!
Completely gripping, without sensationalising the story. Hallie Rubenhold treats each woman with respect and care. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Misogyny