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

dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

What a fantastically-researched, heart-breaking book this was!

It was even more chilling for me because I was born in Whitechapel and recently spent a few years living in the areas where the stories in this book took place. These grisly events happened only 132 years ago — not long at all!

Once we get into the stories of the women, I was captivated. Hallie Rubenhold knows how to convey a lot of information, whilst still presenting the reader with a compelling narrative. I learnt so much about what life was like for those in poverty at this time and it was incredibly sad, especially to have been born a woman.

Why not 5 stars?  The Five was a little dense and slow to start. While fascinating, there is a lot information chucked at the reader from the get-go. And that pattern continued a little bit within each woman's story. On top of that, especially towards the latter chapters, I found it harder to distinguish each story in my mind, especially given some very similar themes in each woman's life. I also felt like a lot of the stories ended abruptly, though I understand that Rubenhold didn't want to dwell on the aftermath of each murder.

It's an incredible book. I highly recommended it to history fans, true crime enthusiasts, or those who think "oh yeah, he killed prostitutes" when they hear the name "Jack the Ripper".