Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold

121 reviews

lizclark81's review against another edition

informative medium-paced

3.75

Well-researched and written for a mass market audience, Rubenhold's stories really humanize these women without victim blaming them. Personally I struggled with the vignettes about Victorian London (not my favorite historical period) but the details did serve to portray the world in which the women lived. A solid historical non-fiction book that showcased how little has changed for female vicitims of violence, especially those living in poverty.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Misogyny, Domestic abuse, Classism, Medical trauma, and Alcoholism

amelia_douglas's review against another edition

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Misogyny, Trafficking, Death, Alcoholism, and Addiction

Moderate: Medical content, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Mental illness, Medical trauma, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Sexual assault and Miscarriage

isabellaeastwood's review against another edition

informative medium-paced

3.5

In an ideal world serial killers names would never be spoken or written down, and they will be forgotten in history. Unfortunately, especially in this day and age, this will never happen. So instead focusing on the victims and what lives they lived is another way, Rubenhold explains, to silent the killer.

The reader is able to imagine their lives and its provides such an insight into 19th Century Whitechapel. The research is great, and the book flows so well. Even when she has to put caveats, the flow of the story remains intact. There will be times when there was limitations in research or assumptions made using secondary sources. Often Rubenhold has to put her historian hat on and question the newspapers and the inquests written during those times. This is not historical fiction, this is an attempt at writing the history using sources, facts and expertise.

The book is split into five main parts, retelling the life's of the five victims. By the third I was tempted to give this 4/5 stars. I was thinking, 'this might be my first five star read that is fiction'. But alas, I got tired of the rhetoric. I know that when writing essays you have to have 'Point, Evidence, Explain', but constantly reminding the reader that not all of these women were prostitutes got a bit tiring, 'show, don't tell'.

However, this book is very important and I cannot wait to read her other books

"It is only by bringing these women back to life that we can silence the Ripper and what he represents. By permitting them to speak, by attempting to understand their experiences and see their humanity, we can restore to them the respect and compassion to which they are entitled. The victims of Jack the Ripper were never 'just prostitutes'; they were daughters, wives, mothers, sisters and lovers. They were women."

⭐⭐⭐ for story 4/5 ⭐ for the history retelling. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Alcoholism, Body horror, and Death

crabbytaco's review against another edition

dark informative sad medium-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Abandonment

Moderate: Murder and Child death

magibeth's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Alcoholism, Murder, Death, and Classism

Moderate: Miscarriage, Child death, Medical trauma, Grief, Domestic abuse, Infertility, and Death of parent

bthkly's review against another edition

informative sad medium-paced

5.0

As a history teacher I sought out this book to help with subject knowledge surrounding the GCSE history course. I came away with a much more valuable reflection on the lives of women in the 19th century and the misconceptions we may hold about the past due to still present social attitudes. Opens your eyes to the reality of the case and refocuses attention on the people who should matter in the story of a killer - the victims. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Addiction, Death, Murder, Sexual assault, Alcohol, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Trafficking, Miscarriage, Child death, and Pregnancy

abby_can_read's review against another edition

informative medium-paced

4.0

🎧
I enjoyed this book. It was well research and well written. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Classism, Misogyny, Violence, Death, Physical abuse, Addiction, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, and Murder

Moderate: Grief, Child death, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, and Sexual violence

Minor: Chronic illness and Mental illness

figmentfan89's review against another edition

challenging informative medium-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Death, Rape, and Sexual assault

Minor: Classism, Addiction, and Alcoholism

funsizesteffi1104's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

5.0

This was the first book I have read that has solely focused on the people and not on the crime/murder. It was very emotional and hard to read at times reading what the characters faced knowing how they would die.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction and Alcoholism

Moderate: Trafficking, Child death, Miscarriage, Death, Murder, and Child abuse

kb_sherman's review against another edition

informative slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcohol, Child death, Alcoholism, Death, Addiction, Murder, and Suicide