Reviews tagging 'Rape'

The Five: The Lives of Jack the Ripper's Women by Hallie Rubenhold

16 reviews

vixenreader's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.75

It is good to see the victims of Jack the Ripper as human beings instead of faceless statistics to be gawked at. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Murder, Physical abuse, Alcoholism, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Violence, Addiction, Alcohol, Body shaming, Mental illness, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Child death, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Grief, Trafficking, Gun violence, Infidelity, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, and Rape

Minor: Racism, Gore, and Xenophobia

There is a lot of talk about the abuse within the workhouses and dissolving of familial dynamics.

louiseisabed's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Trafficking, Death, Domestic abuse, Rape, Alcoholism, Pregnancy, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Addiction, and Alcohol

Moderate: Murder

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murder victims and their lives, I didn't give a higher rating because some of the language and insinuations are a bit outdated (e.g., some of the things mentioned re: sex work, addiction, or poverty/homelessness).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.

---

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

rhiannonxgrace's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad

5.0

What an incredible book. I really enjoy Rubenhold’s writing style and find her to be an easy read, which can’t be said about all historians! This was a rough read, and more than once I had to pause and step away for a little while simply due to the content. But I am so glad I read this. It’s so important to move the focus back on to the womens’ lives and show them as fully fledged people, something that is often discarded when it comes to the Whitechapel murders.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment, Abortion, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Infidelity, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Murder, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Trafficking, and Violence

victoria29's review against another edition

dark informative reflective sad slow-paced

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Sexual violence, Alcoholism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Sexism, Rape, Murder, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, and Death

scripturient's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective sad slow-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Infidelity