Reviews tagging 'Sexual harassment'

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

14 reviews

corriejn's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

A well-written and thoroughly researched accounting of the history and lives of the five Victorian era women who eventually became the presumed victims of the serial killer dubbed Jack the Ripper. The violence that ended each of their lives is not the focus, and is mentioned only in passing as the end of each woman's life. These accounts are representative of the experiences of many non-wealthy women of the time and area-- the precarities of trying to remain out of poverty and destitution, the limited choices available to women and families without financial resources, the living conditions faced in workhouses or the kind of lodging houses available to lower classes-- but provide specifics details of each woman's life. While this book is important in humanizing and dispelling some myths about these murder victims and their lives, I didn't give a higher rating because some of the language and insinuations are a bit outdated (e.g., some of the things mentioned re: sex work, addiction, or poverty/homelessness). Basically, it would have been super progressive like... 10 or 15 years ago. Still worth a read, though.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Alcohol, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Child death, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, and Grief

Minor: Abortion, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Trafficking

maddalenacesco's review against another edition

dark informative sad tense medium-paced

4.75

victorian age perpetuating the task of making women hate themselves <3.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Misogyny, Murder, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, and Medical content

pollyflorence's review against another edition

dark informative reflective slow-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Child abuse, Death of parent, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Trafficking, and Violence

rosalind's review against another edition

challenging dark informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

4.0

Hardgoing in places and I can’t lie, I’m glad I’ve finished it at last. But I have to give it 4 stars rather than 3 on the strength of the conclusion alone. It feels like a really significant piece of work, a powerful exercise in empathy and, as Rubenhold puts it in the interview included at the back, ‘alchemy or reimagination.’ I hope the Five spirits feel honoured; God rest them, and God forgive us.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Forced institutionalization, Hate crime, Police brutality, Sexism, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Death of parent, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Murder, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Violence, and Toxic relationship