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Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'
The Five: The Lives of Jack the Ripper's Women by Hallie Rubenhold
20 reviews
revived_reading's review against another edition
5.0
This book opens your eyes not only to the lives of these 5 women, but to the lives of many, many women in the Victorian era.
Hallie Rubenhold truly gave back these women their stories and their lives. She gave them the respect they were never given. She gave them justice.
Graphic: Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Grief, Medical content, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
Moderate: Terminal illness, Suicide, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Infidelity, Child death, and Domestic abuse
annamorgan27's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Infidelity, Misogyny, Addiction, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Pregnancy, Child death, Forced institutionalization, Miscarriage, Murder, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Trafficking, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Violence
geraldinerowe's review against another edition
5.0
I've read two criticisms of this book. Firstly that it's all conjecture. It's not, it's just very well researched. I suspect much of the detail comes from newspaper reports of the character witnesses' statements at the victims' inquests (I'm afraid I'm not a great reader of footnotes, but the author does reference her sources in detail). Newspaper coverage of trials and the like were very detailed at that time and reported almost word for word (although the author must have had a job filtering out the more sensational reporting). The other criticism I've heard is that, by putting so much emphasis on the fact that most of the victims, contrary to popular belief, were not prostitutes, the author was part of that section of society which believes sex workers' lives are less valuable or not worthy of saving. I agree that most of the book does have this feel, but it's clearly not what the author believes, as her conclusion makes clear.
This is THE book to read about the Whitechapel Murders (unless, of course, you just want to get off on reading about violence against women, which most Ripper books seem to pander to). Looking at the victims not only gives them the much overdue respect they deserve, but also shows us that their murderer was far more likely to have been one of the frequenters of the doss houses in the Flower and Dean Street area than a royal, a surgeon or a mysterious American.
I don't believe in an afterlife, but if I'm wrong I hope the five unfortunate women we meet in this book are finally finding some comfort by having their stories told so sympathetically. Five stars.
Moderate: Alcoholism
Minor: Trafficking, Physical abuse, Murder, Mental illness, Domestic abuse, Death, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Chronic illness, Child death, and Misogyny
vasha's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Misogyny, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Medical content, Murder, Pregnancy, Infertility, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Classism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Sexual harassment, and Trafficking
Minor: Grief, Mental illness, and Sexual violence
katievh's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Alcoholism, Misogyny, and Sexism
Moderate: Abandonment, Child death, Violence, Domestic abuse, Trafficking, Sexual assault, Miscarriage, Chronic illness, Death, Grief, Mental illness, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Murder, Death of parent, Infidelity, Infertility, and Terminal illness
rhiannonxgrace's review against another edition
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.
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
rosienotjen's review against another edition
5.0
Moderate: Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexism, Terminal illness, Trafficking, and Violence
scripturient's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Infidelity
sarah984's review against another edition
2.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, and Misogyny
Moderate: Child death, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Medical content, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Trafficking, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Suicide, Sexual violence, Religious bigotry, and Physical abuse
Minor: Body shaming, Forced institutionalization, and Religious bigotry
erinjulia's review against another edition
5.0
Minor: Body horror, Violence, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Terminal illness, Slavery, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Infidelity, Infertility, Gore, Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, Addiction, Child death, and Death