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blimeburner's review against another edition
5.0
I think that this is one of my favorite non-fiction books ever. I always find non-fiction to be fairly dry reading and hard to get through. The way that this was written made it very easy to really picture what was happening. The author took one of the most famous serial killers and really did something that not many people have done, made the victims the focus, and barely mentioned the killer. I'll admit that I had never really thought about the victims other than prostitutes who were unfortunate enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I thought that because that is what is the prevalent opinion is about them. In news, movies, and tv shows, they are always presented as prostitutes. This book really made me see the Jack the Ripper case in a whole new light and wonder if maybe the police at the time hadn't assumed that the women were prostitutes and had actually taken a look into their lives, then maybe he would've been caught. If the police had gotten that huge fact wrong, what else did they get wrong? What else did they overlook?
booksbeforelooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.75
artistmaybe's review against another edition
3.0
This is a bit depressing to read but gives you a more accurate picture of the victims of Jack the Ripper.
aflovell2's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
AMAZING. I took my time reading this as I was so enthralled by Polly, Anne, Elizabeth, Kate and Mary-Jane’s stories that I wanted to fully allow myself to absorb this. And WOW! This book should be on everyone’s bookshelves. The grip of the stories, the emotion with which they are conveyed, the tiny details that so brilliantly and vibrantly bring the history to life made this one of my all time favourite reads! It reads like a fiction as you really fall in love, cry, get angry, laugh, and cry some more with these women and their lives. The analysis of the Victorian era, the moral values of that time, the similarities that are drawn between then and now and the deconstruction of the assumptions and attitudes towards the Ripper and the women he murdered are so expertly woven in. The last line made my cry and I was so sad to put this book down but so grateful to have read their stories. “The victims of Jack the Ripper were never ‘just prostitutes’; they were daughters, wives, mothers, sisters and lovers. They were women. They were human beings, and surely that, in itself, is enough.”
readingelli's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Thought provoking, well researched. Some speculation, but all very well presented. Fascinating insight into working class women in Victorian England.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, Misogyny, Domestic abuse, and Death
Poverty, sex workers/ prostitution, period typical attitudes to sexnsheep's review against another edition
5.0
More than just a biography, this book brings to life the working class London of the late 1880's through the eyes of five women. This is not a crime novel, nor does it bare much attention for Jack the Ripper. It is simply a novel of the lives of five women who were born and died in the 17th century. It forces you to look beyond the unjust characterizations these women have undergone in their death to see who they really were: women trying to make there way through life in an era of poverty and prejudice.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and upon finishing it I feel I have lost something. I would have liked the opportunity to be satisfied with these women's end, but unfortunately for the period in which they lived this was uncommon. Hopefully you give this book a chance and experience the trials and tribulations of these women's lives, whether anger at the way they were treated by others or joy when they found momentary happiness.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and upon finishing it I feel I have lost something. I would have liked the opportunity to be satisfied with these women's end, but unfortunately for the period in which they lived this was uncommon. Hopefully you give this book a chance and experience the trials and tribulations of these women's lives, whether anger at the way they were treated by others or joy when they found momentary happiness.
kyra_c_c's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book, it made me very angry. It was affirming and interesting to learn about these neglected women's lives. Here is a list of the things this book made me deeply grateful for
School
Being literate
The separation of law and religion
Contraception and sex education
Universal medical care
Antibiotics
Divorce laws
Central heating
Plumbing
Unions and workers rights
Pollution and clean air laws
The welfare state (what's left of it)
School
Being literate
The separation of law and religion
Contraception and sex education
Universal medical care
Antibiotics
Divorce laws
Central heating
Plumbing
Unions and workers rights
Pollution and clean air laws
The welfare state (what's left of it)
kallmekirby's review against another edition
4.0
This got me back into reading nonfiction after a LONG hiatus! Fascinating- I like that it barely mentioned the murders and instead portrayed each woman clearly as an individual with her own thoughts and goals and feelings. After over a century of being dehumanized by the media, they deserve to be seen as they really were.