4.72k reviews for:

The Five: The Lives of Jack the Ripper's Women

Hallie Rubenhold

4.18 AVERAGE

bassbox's review against another edition

4.0

dark informative sad medium-paced

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism

Minor: Suicide

tiffanne11's review against another edition

5.0

dark reflective sad medium-paced

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"They were human beings, and surely that in itself is enough."

A book about the lives of the five women who are frequently overlooked in talking about the infamous killer who took their lives. It is shocking how many things were prominent then that still permeate to today. While women without husbands can make a life for themselves, there is still a permeating belief that those stuck in poverty, those forced to live in the streets, and those who must rely on the generosity of others are somehow worse and lazier than those who are blessed with good fortune. 

"When a woman steps out of line and contravenes the feminine norm, whether on social media on on the Victorian street, there is a tacit understanding that somone must put her back in her place. Labelling the victims as 'just prostitutes' permits writing about Polly, Annie, Elizabeth, Kate and Mary Jane even today to continue to disparage, sexualize and dehumanize them; to continue to reinforce values of madonna/whore."

lventh34's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

elyseja's review against another edition

4.5

dark informative mysterious fast-paced

rmbnproletarian's review against another edition

5.0

emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

rasha_reads's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark informative reflective sad slow-paced

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This is perhaps one of the most interesting of my non-fiction reads of 2025 so far along with “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” since it addresses modern society’s propensity for sensationalising violence and its perpetrators whilst the victims are forgotten. This is not something new and dates back to the now infamous Ripper murders in 1887/1888 Whitechapel, London which this book addresses.

Each of the Ripper’s victims lives (Polly Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes, Mary Jane Kelly) are detailed in this book in detail that I thought would have been lost to the black hole of patriarchal history. What I found fascinating was how much details of their lives that the author managed to unearth. In addition, the lives of their families and the historical context of their lives is also examined.

I found this to be an important work since it takes a necessary first step in addressing how these woman were victimised by society, then deprived of their lives by a murderer and then further maligned by being incorrectly characterised as prostitutes.

Having read their stories, personal and societal, it left me wondering how much has really changed in the 130 years since these murders took place? Have the police gotten any better at making unfounded assumptions as they did back then with The Five? Has the modern press made any improvements in reporting without sensationalising the perpetrators? Do we think about any of these things when we read their stories news and updates of our social media feeds along with our morning tea or coffee?

Speaking for myself, I found myself being brought up short in that I was as guilty as anybody of not realising that my way of thinking was very much in step with the majority. Before reading “The Five”, I could not have named The Ripper’s victims and I had bought into the mythology of their identities as ‘fallen women’.  I can only hope that my new awareness will spread along with every reader of this book since it is the only way that the mindset and assumptions will change in this case and in others.

5 stars 🤓📚

@HallieRubenhold #TheFive #TheFiveTheLivesOfJackTheRippersWomen 

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#NonFiction #truecrime #jacktheripper

stargirl1387's review against another edition

4.0

dark emotional sad slow-paced

absolute_casserole's review against another edition

4.0

informative inspiring slow-paced

pancha_reads's review against another edition

5.0

dark informative mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

hayley_henderson22's review against another edition

3.25

dark emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced