A review by theatomicblonde22
The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold

5.0

I found Rubenhold's approach to this story of five victims incredibly respectful and well researched. She doesn't rehash the horrific details of the killings, or speculate as to anything regarding the Ripper's identity - it's all overdone and gruesome and the women themselves become completely lost in the narrative. This takes a sensitive, in-depth look at each of their lives as they grew up, married, became mothers, and unfortunately succumbed to tragedy and alcoholism. This is not, as I first assumed, a true crime novel about Jack the Ripper's victims. This is a true social historian's take on the lives of five Victorian women who met with a monster that ended their lives. I highly recommend this to everyone!