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

4.74k reviews for:

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

One of the most intensely researched history & crime books. I cannot fathom the records the author had to go through to catalog the lives of the five victims of Jack the Ripper. For that alone, it would be worth the read.

But the thesis of the book is also outstanding. The concept that the Ripper's victims were all prostitutes has colored their perception for over a century, and allowed for media and historians to dismiss them wholesale.

Rubenhold deftly weaves the stories of five women into a narrative of late Victorian womanhood. Their tragedy is almost Dickensian, but there is solace that at last, their lives have been memorialized. Required reading for Ripperologists and casual historians alike.

vintagejesskuh's review against another edition

5.0

I CAN'T REALLY EXPLAIN HOW HAPPY IT MAKES ME THAT AFTER FINISHING THIS BOOK I STILL CAN'T TELL YOU SHIT ABOUT JACK THE RIPPER. Correcting the misogynist historical narrative by telling the stories of the female victims?! Holy shit this is some fucking feminist true crime--I AM ALL ABOUT IT. Fascinating stories, I'd almost be as fascinated learning how the author pieced together all the details to form her narrative. I LOVE that Ms. Rubenhold told us when she didn't know something. This book was *exactly* what I needed to read this year. Polly, Annie, Elisabeth, Kate, Mary Jane R.I.P.

suuhas's review against another edition

4.25

challenging dark informative tense medium-paced

cru713's review against another edition

2.75

dark emotional informative sad slow-paced

zogazoid's review against another edition

5.0

informative reflective sad medium-paced

megan_rang's review against another edition

3.0

informative reflective sad slow-paced

I like that this book shares another side of the lives for the 5 women killed by Jack the Ripper. I appreciated that. I didn’t find this book all that compelling.