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A review by kyky70123
The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold
5.0
Polly- it’s always sad to hear how a woman has had to suffer when her male counterpart has only benefited from the situation. Even though her husband was devastated by her death, he got to keep on living, he didn’t have to see the worst of what this world has to offer. If society hadn’t been so against women since the beginning of time then things would’ve undoubtedly been different for her, but as a woman with no way to start a life without a man her downfall was inescapable.
Annie- The fall from grace was so extreme I genuinely had no idea how the inevitable ending was going to come about. It makes it even worse to know that at every obstacle there was a way out but she couldn’t take it simply because of the hold alcohol had on her. It’s not even comforting to know that her marriage was a happy one all the way to the end, if anything that makes it worse. It’s refreshing though to know that her brother was able to break the cycle yet still disappointing that she wasn’t able to do so first.
Elisabeth- when i started reading her section i assumed that things would’ve been different if she had just stayed in Sweden but once again its the constant prejudice towards women that killed her. Even though she was a prostitute it wasn’t by any choice of her own. It was a matter of survival. All of these women fought to survive but especially Elisabeth. She lied and conned people and went against everything that she had been taught as a child but she had no choice. When you live in a world where everything is against you, you have no choice but to do things that are arguably morally wrong.
Kate- this one actually made me cry, not for any particular reason. If anything just reading the way her sister cried for her and the way her family came together even though they had all abandoned her kinda got me. It’s always sad to hear how someone with so much potential and the capability to live a really great life ended up just another forgotten part of history. And once again, not a prostitute.
Mary Jane- I wish we could know more about her life before she became a prostitute to know if there were any significant moments that if altered slightly could’ve prevented her death. Obviously her being trafficked was the moment that altered the course of her life but I don’t think that could’ve been prevented. It’s very obvious that no matter what it was not in her character to deny an opportunity like a trip to Paris, regardless of warnings from anyone else. I was pretty shocked to know she’s buried so close to where I live though, kinda freaky.
Rubenhold has genuinely given readers so much perspective on the ways in which women are simply hated by society. They have been for centuries and continue to be today. These women all had lives and the facts in this book are only a small fragment of them and somehow it’s taken so long for someone to document them. We’ve spent years idolising a criminal and keeping his legacy alive so to speak, when really we should’ve been talking about the lives he took. It also makes these women feel real. They struggle with the same problems that people do today and they live in the same areas we do. They’ve only ever been referred to as a collective, ‘The Ripper Victims’ so by telling their stories it just humanises them. There’s a lot of stigma around non-fiction books and how boring they are but in actuality this took me on the same emotional rollercoaster that any fictional novel would. There’s also something to be said about the way your heart sinks each time one of the women eventually ends up in Whitechapel. It’s obviously the catalyst for their deaths and you know it has to happen at some point but when it does all you can think about is how many things could’ve prevented it.
Annie- The fall from grace was so extreme I genuinely had no idea how the inevitable ending was going to come about. It makes it even worse to know that at every obstacle there was a way out but she couldn’t take it simply because of the hold alcohol had on her. It’s not even comforting to know that her marriage was a happy one all the way to the end, if anything that makes it worse. It’s refreshing though to know that her brother was able to break the cycle yet still disappointing that she wasn’t able to do so first.
Elisabeth- when i started reading her section i assumed that things would’ve been different if she had just stayed in Sweden but once again its the constant prejudice towards women that killed her. Even though she was a prostitute it wasn’t by any choice of her own. It was a matter of survival. All of these women fought to survive but especially Elisabeth. She lied and conned people and went against everything that she had been taught as a child but she had no choice. When you live in a world where everything is against you, you have no choice but to do things that are arguably morally wrong.
Kate- this one actually made me cry, not for any particular reason. If anything just reading the way her sister cried for her and the way her family came together even though they had all abandoned her kinda got me. It’s always sad to hear how someone with so much potential and the capability to live a really great life ended up just another forgotten part of history. And once again, not a prostitute.
Mary Jane- I wish we could know more about her life before she became a prostitute to know if there were any significant moments that if altered slightly could’ve prevented her death. Obviously her being trafficked was the moment that altered the course of her life but I don’t think that could’ve been prevented. It’s very obvious that no matter what it was not in her character to deny an opportunity like a trip to Paris, regardless of warnings from anyone else. I was pretty shocked to know she’s buried so close to where I live though, kinda freaky.
Rubenhold has genuinely given readers so much perspective on the ways in which women are simply hated by society. They have been for centuries and continue to be today. These women all had lives and the facts in this book are only a small fragment of them and somehow it’s taken so long for someone to document them. We’ve spent years idolising a criminal and keeping his legacy alive so to speak, when really we should’ve been talking about the lives he took. It also makes these women feel real. They struggle with the same problems that people do today and they live in the same areas we do. They’ve only ever been referred to as a collective, ‘The Ripper Victims’ so by telling their stories it just humanises them. There’s a lot of stigma around non-fiction books and how boring they are but in actuality this took me on the same emotional rollercoaster that any fictional novel would. There’s also something to be said about the way your heart sinks each time one of the women eventually ends up in Whitechapel. It’s obviously the catalyst for their deaths and you know it has to happen at some point but when it does all you can think about is how many things could’ve prevented it.