Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

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

40 reviews

jacs63's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

5.0

This is a stunning book for so many reasons. 
It gives a face, a name and a voice, to the 5 victims of JtR. 
We so often only hear about the perpetrator, and not the victims. 
The book discusses the fact that thru the falsehood and misinformation spread by the Metropolitan Police and journalists at the time, it was convenient for us all to think that JtR only killed prostitutes. 
Only 2 of the 5 were actually known to be sex workers. 
There is no evidence that the other 3 were sex workers at all, but I for one believed the misinformation that was spread. 
One thing that all 5 women shared was that they are all alcoholics. 
I wonder why?? 
Maybe because cheap alcohol was the only thing that dulled the pain, if only for a while, of the poverty; the hunger; the homelessness; the early death of family members, including their own spouses or their own babies/ children; the death sentence that they were given if their spouse died and left them, and their children, destitute; their treatment as a woman with no legal rights; the living hell that was the 'Workhouse'; the lack of education for woman; the disease; the filth and vermin; the lack of medicines; the lack of clean water and sanitation; the violence; the lack of hope, respect and dignity etc etc etc. 
Basically the treatment of women/girls in the 1800's. 

It's full of interesting and informative historical facts about what life, and death, was like, for women in particular, in the Victorian 1800's. 

It's sad and horrific and devastating. It's a book that won't leave me for a while, I don't think. 
Probably not a book to read if you are depressed or feeling melancholic.

We will never know who JtR was. 
But we can know who his victims were. 
These women were daughters; sisters; wives; lovers; mothers; friends. 
May they never be forgotten. 
RIP and love, Polly, Annie, Elizabeth, Kate and Mary Jane.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Child death, Addiction, Alcoholism, Blood, Chronic illness, Death, Physical abuse, Excrement, Misogyny, Medical content, Alcohol, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Stalking, Terminal illness, Violence, Murder, and Pandemic/Epidemic

greatexpectations77's review against another edition

challenging dark informative reflective slow-paced

4.25

I really appreciate how intensively this was researched, and I think it's a really important idea. I could definitely see revisiting this and reading it again in small pieces. It tells such an interesting story about just women in general during this time period in England, and I think it's fascinating how so many ideas that were standard then are still hanging on today.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Addiction, Alcohol, Abandonment, Classism, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Death, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, Murder, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Sexual content, and Sexual violence

Minor: Blood and Child death

emilo's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism and Sexism

Moderate: Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Misogyny, Mental illness, Drug abuse, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Addiction, Sexual harassment, Domestic abuse, Death, Death of parent, and Child death

Minor: Murder, Violence, Sexual harassment, and Slavery

oceanwriter's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

4.0

Behind Jack the Ripper is the lives of his victims. Given the illusiveness of this particular killer, the women he slayed tend to be swept aside. This book gives them a voice.

Each section of the book discusses each woman: Polly, Annie, Elisabeth, Kate, and Mary Jane. We learn about their lives leading up to their murders rather than the murder themselves. Along with the story of their lives, the author provides a detailed history of life in England at the time. 

I was initially surprised by the fact Jack the Ripper was hardly mentioned, but I think I ultimately enjoyed the book more because of it. It was incredibly insightful and put a lot of things in perspective. I will say that this was about 60% general history and 40% the five women. While interesting, this did cause the narration to drag at times. It’s worth wading through the slow bits. There is a lot to take in. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Alcohol, Death, and Murder

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Infertility, Child death, and Miscarriage

Minor: Trafficking

avidreaderandgeekgirl's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

An interesting look into the true lives of Jack the Ripper's conical five victims and thoughts on how they've been forgotten and twisted by the press and others while he's become infamous. The fact that only 2 of them were sex workers was surprising to me because I'd heard the familiar story. But they were sleeping on the street because of poverty. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Misogyny, Alcoholism, and Alcohol

Moderate: Death of parent, Death, Child death, and Miscarriage

nieva098's review against another edition

emotional informative sad medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcohol, Addiction, Miscarriage, Alcoholism, Child death, and Grief

Minor: Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Trafficking, Death of parent, Infidelity, Sexual harassment, Classism, Medical trauma, and Sexism

dexkit10's review against another edition

dark informative sad slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Death, and Murder

louisemcaw's review against another edition

dark informative mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Death, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Sexual violence, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Murder, and Miscarriage

crabbytaco's review against another edition

dark informative sad medium-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Abandonment

Moderate: Murder and Child death

bthkly's review against another edition

informative sad medium-paced

5.0

As a history teacher I sought out this book to help with subject knowledge surrounding the GCSE history course. I came away with a much more valuable reflection on the lives of women in the 19th century and the misconceptions we may hold about the past due to still present social attitudes. Opens your eyes to the reality of the case and refocuses attention on the people who should matter in the story of a killer - the victims. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Addiction, Death, Murder, Sexual assault, Alcohol, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Trafficking, Miscarriage, Child death, and Pregnancy