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gfs0619's review against another edition
2.0
I,Ripper by Stephen Hunter tries to be a fresh take on the many Jack the Ripper stories. The book is told through two perspectives, the diaries of Jeb,a reporter covering the Ripper case, and of Jack himself. Jeb does eventually discover his Ripper, but not until his mission is mostly complete.
The story was ok. I was expecting a Ripper story to have a more sinister mood but didn't feel that here. The most interesting part of the book for me was the revealing of who Jeb would become and what he did with Jack's story than the identification of this book's Jack. Unfortunately, that didn't come until late in the book.
I give this book 2.5 stars.
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
The story was ok. I was expecting a Ripper story to have a more sinister mood but didn't feel that here. The most interesting part of the book for me was the revealing of who Jeb would become and what he did with Jack's story than the identification of this book's Jack. Unfortunately, that didn't come until late in the book.
I give this book 2.5 stars.
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
charlie9_9's review against another edition
3.0
book was interesting , it was a retelling of the jack the ripper tale ending with his theory on who was the ripper
papidoc's review against another edition
1.0
I don't generally review books I don't finish, mostly because the main reason I don't finish a book is because I'm bored, and another person's experience could be very different. However, I didn't finish this I, Ripper because it was well written, but truly dark and uncomfortable.
I have read most of Hunter's other work, and enjoyed it. I like that he is very familiar with firearms and the gun subculture, and gets those details right, unlike so many other writers of thrillers and mysteries. However, in this case, the topic (Jack the Ripper) seems out of Hunter's normal style and range. More importantly, while his earlier works were well-written, insightful, often thought-provoking, and got the details right, this one was well-written and...ugly. The language, the characters' thoughts and thought processes, the lack of decent values in just about every character in the book (compared to Bob Lee Swagger's sense of honor, decency, and self-discipline), and the overall tone of evil and ugliness was so off-putting that every page or so I found myself putting it down to gasp in some fresh air and do something else for a while.
I lasted about two chapters, and I don't know why I persisted that long. I'm not squeamish, by any means, but this was too much for me. As always, YMMV.
I have read most of Hunter's other work, and enjoyed it. I like that he is very familiar with firearms and the gun subculture, and gets those details right, unlike so many other writers of thrillers and mysteries. However, in this case, the topic (Jack the Ripper) seems out of Hunter's normal style and range. More importantly, while his earlier works were well-written, insightful, often thought-provoking, and got the details right, this one was well-written and...ugly. The language, the characters' thoughts and thought processes, the lack of decent values in just about every character in the book (compared to Bob Lee Swagger's sense of honor, decency, and self-discipline), and the overall tone of evil and ugliness was so off-putting that every page or so I found myself putting it down to gasp in some fresh air and do something else for a while.
I lasted about two chapters, and I don't know why I persisted that long. I'm not squeamish, by any means, but this was too much for me. As always, YMMV.
erinld2005's review against another edition
2.0
Hooray! I won this in the goodreads giveaways. I can't wait to get it. Im really looking forward to this one. :)
2.5 stars really. I have to admit that I'm a little disappointed. I, Ripper was ok. It was quite dull in some parts and by the end I just didn't care. It wasn't a horrible book, it was just ok.
2.5 stars really. I have to admit that I'm a little disappointed. I, Ripper was ok. It was quite dull in some parts and by the end I just didn't care. It wasn't a horrible book, it was just ok.
wannabekingpin's review against another edition
3.0
all reviews in one place:
night mode reading ;
skaitom nakties rezimu
About the Book: Jack’s a common fellow, invisible in the crowd, one of many. It’s only that at nights, under the barest light of the moon, he hires girls, who even in the midst of this murderish horror that became Jack the Ripper, wouldn’t suspect a fella as polite and charming as he, and then dissects them, seemingly, for the pleasure of it. Thus entering the world as a nightmare legend.
Journalists helped this legend grow, the legend of Jack the Ripper, Whitechapel Butcher that London won’t soon forget, by supplying the mob with gory details, blunt headlines, and even the name itself.
My Opinion: Nothing tied proper. Nothing. Do you remember how it used to be popular to describe yourself as “random“? Well, this book was bloody random. Jack made no sense whatsoever, what he said, what he did, what he pretended to be, those where three different things that didn’t mix at all. And on top of that jumble, author goes right ahead and tells us who the murderer, who Jack is in the middle of the damned book, thus taking away the one thing that drove me, as a reader. The only praise I got is Jack wasn’t made to be a charming serial women killer, the way it seems to be fairly popular these days.
I’ll give this book a very shaky 3 out of 5 for the sheer fact that author wrote in a very smooth fashion. If someone would’ve pointed out he gave up his cards like that, for no reason, it might have made a decent book.
night mode reading ;
skaitom nakties rezimu
About the Book: Jack’s a common fellow, invisible in the crowd, one of many. It’s only that at nights, under the barest light of the moon, he hires girls, who even in the midst of this murderish horror that became Jack the Ripper, wouldn’t suspect a fella as polite and charming as he, and then dissects them, seemingly, for the pleasure of it. Thus entering the world as a nightmare legend.
Journalists helped this legend grow, the legend of Jack the Ripper, Whitechapel Butcher that London won’t soon forget, by supplying the mob with gory details, blunt headlines, and even the name itself.
My Opinion: Nothing tied proper. Nothing. Do you remember how it used to be popular to describe yourself as “random“? Well, this book was bloody random. Jack made no sense whatsoever, what he said, what he did, what he pretended to be, those where three different things that didn’t mix at all. And on top of that jumble, author goes right ahead and tells us who the murderer, who Jack is in the middle of the damned book, thus taking away the one thing that drove me, as a reader. The only praise I got is Jack wasn’t made to be a charming serial women killer, the way it seems to be fairly popular these days.
I’ll give this book a very shaky 3 out of 5 for the sheer fact that author wrote in a very smooth fashion. If someone would’ve pointed out he gave up his cards like that, for no reason, it might have made a decent book.
colorfulleo92's review against another edition
2.0
I really enjoy a good book with a jack the ripper theme from time to time and got excited when I found this. Sounded to be a thrilling and suspenseful read but I was heavily disappointed in this book. It wasn't the worst I've read, I still think Stephen Hunter can write but this one fell flat. The plot wasn't very exciting and it was rather meh in suspense, didn't do it for me.
delslibrary1313's review against another edition
Was not connecting to the story 😕
oisincleere's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
vanessamariebooks's review against another edition
3.0
So after thinking about this for a bit, here's what I liked and didn't like in this one. Overall it was ok, just not quite what I was expecting.
Pros:
-Jack's chapters were the most interesting, especially the times he's close to being caught
-The setting and atmosphere in here are how I would picture 19th century England.
Cons:
-Dual narrative: the story goes back and forth from Jack's diary entries to Jeb, a reporter following the case of Jack the Ripper.
-We also get a third perspective thrown in every now and then from a woman writing to her mother. Honestly, I don't think this third perspective did anything to add to the story and could have easily been cut out.
-Jeb's chapters just weren't interesting to me. I might have enjoyed it more if he was a detective working the case, rather than just a reporter, but I really had no interest in his character.
-For a short book, there seemed to be a lot of places that felt long, dragged out, and just boring (again these were mostly Jeb's chapters).
-The reveal at the end wasn't much of a surprise (I guess it was him long before the end).
Pros:
-Jack's chapters were the most interesting, especially the times he's close to being caught
-The setting and atmosphere in here are how I would picture 19th century England.
Cons:
-Dual narrative: the story goes back and forth from Jack's diary entries to Jeb, a reporter following the case of Jack the Ripper.
-We also get a third perspective thrown in every now and then from a woman writing to her mother. Honestly, I don't think this third perspective did anything to add to the story and could have easily been cut out.
-Jeb's chapters just weren't interesting to me. I might have enjoyed it more if he was a detective working the case, rather than just a reporter, but I really had no interest in his character.
-For a short book, there seemed to be a lot of places that felt long, dragged out, and just boring (again these were mostly Jeb's chapters).
-The reveal at the end wasn't much of a surprise (I guess it was him long before the end).