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

Let me start by acknowledging how much I have been looking forward to reading this book. I have been studying the Whitechapel murders for years and have had a particular yearning for a full-length biography of the canonical five. This book was heavily touted as a chance to "rehabilitate" the victims from their century-plus old reputation as merely debauched prostitutes. The author promised to not dwell on their deaths or make assumptions of the murderer. So imagine my disappointment when on page 13 of the introduction she not only makes her own assumption of the killer's m.o., but a stupid, wholly inconceivable one at that. She states that the police "failed to conclude the obvious- the Ripper targeted women while they slept". She bases this on cororner's reports that their throats were cut in a reclining position and no screams were heard. Any reader of Ripperology knows that they were first subdued by manual strangulation before being lowered to the ground. There is medical evidence of this in the cororner's reports yet she chooses to ignore it to push her theory that all 5 victims decided to walk miles from their known doss houses to just drop to the ground for sleep, where they were found and murdered. She neglects to mention the well known facts that the patrolling policemen report strolling up those streets and seeing nothing, nobody. Then minutes later coming across the bodies. Also, there multiple witness statements that attest to seeing most of the victims with a man- while they were awake and upright- just minutes before their bodies were discovered....I believe the author is trying too hard to erase the fact that these unfortunate women were resorting to prostitution. I would have appreciated it if she would have expressed the point that the women should not be vilified for resorting to prostitution as a means of survival, and instead vilify the conditions that led her to that in the first place.

The author claims these five women were not "prostitutes."They most certainly were, except maybe Elizabeth Stride. Some of these women were seen walking with a dark man with mustache shortly before their deaths. Why else would they be walking the deserted streets in the wee hours, risking rape or robbery ?Because they need to prostitute themselves in order to earn money for their doss rent, or lodging.This is why I'm becoming hesitant to read female historians, because they cannot remain objective when telling the story. It always has a feminist bent to it.I think many female historians resent the fact that men were the ones who ran history, so they exaggerate the contributions of the women in the story .This book is revisionist nonsense.Those women were prostitutes.

Like so many, I've never given much thought to Jack the Ripper's victims. We were told they were prostitutes, and I am ashamed that I didn't question that or think about their lives beyond that.This amazing, extremely well researched and completely compelling book has shown me how wrong I was. Polly, Annie, Elizabeth, Catherine and Mary-Jane were so much more than just victims. To start with, only really one of them was what we'd conventionally call a prostitute. Polly at one point had a family and lived in a model public housing project---something I had no idea existed at that time. Annie grew up what we'd call today a military brat and married a respected stable man and lived on an estate, Catherine received a much better than average education at what sounded much like today's charter schools...all the women had lives far richer and more complex than I'd ever have thoughtThrough the lives of the five women, I learned so much about Victorian society from a perspective that I've rarely had---that not of rich and royal, but of the rest of us. In some ways, it was a much more progressive world than I'd thought, in others, much darker and crueler. The research the author had to do to write this book is simply amazing. But more than that, she skillfully took what she learned and made it intensely readable.One thing does tie the lives of all five women together---alcoholism. If you ever want to be discouraged from drinking, this is the book to read. Each of the women's lives was altered by her drinking, and my, was there more drinking in Victorian England that I ever thought there was.This is not a book about Jack the Ripper. The actual crimes are not described in detail---we can find that elsewhere. This is a book about women's lives, and it's a book I am so very glad was written. Highly, highly recommended.

Wow! A wonderfully researched exploration of the women who were killed by Jack the Ripper. Rubenhold refuses to dismiss these five women as mere prostitutes and instead, takes the reader into the back alleys, workhouses, and orphanages to examine the struggles of women during the Victorian period. Indeed, their deaths are barely mentioned and instead the author chooses to look at these women's lives. One of the best books I have read this year!

Brilliantly researched, up to an above the scholarship expected of a university press book (I'm a professional historian), but the writing is beautiful, incredibly engaging, and ultimately heartbreaking. The book accurately exposes the terrible social inequities of Victorian Britain but through a vivid personal lens.

And when I mean longer, it’s length is fine. I was just saddened when I finished. I just got the book yesterday and couldn’t put it down. Most books about the Ripper just slog through retreaded information.But this book ain’t about Jack! It’s about the canonical five women who lost their lives to this mysterious monster.The author spends time breaking down Victorian society and why the East End was such a bleak place and what could lead women from that era to do things they likely wouldn’t do otherwise. Then we get well researched chapters about each of the victims. Their lives, their dreams, their families.If you are burnt out on Ripper books, this one is different and refreshed my interest in the hunt!

The research involved in this astonishing book is incredible, all the woman are made human, sentient beings who you love and want to reach back into history and give a helping hand to. wives, mothers, daughters, that fate dealt a terrible and grisley deal. Having long been a ‘Ripperologist’ and having read almost everything I possiblely could on the case, it had always bothered me that the woman were only remembered as victims, I remember feeling extremely sorry for and curious about Elizabeth Stride, her Swedish surname was wrong on every document and no one had ever questioned it, I asked one author, who had written exstensively on the murders his reply was that he wasn’t an expert on Swedish law!...Hallie Rubenhold, however, has taken the time and compasssion to do this with every single one of the woman. I have the utmost respect for this book and the author. the narration is, in my opinion, perfect .Thank you to every one involved for brining dignity back to The Five.

When she let's the history speak for itself, the book is wonderful. It's truly amazing that this history has never been written before, and how many unsubstantiated rumours - and outright falsehoods - have been allowed to flourish. The Ripper's victims deserve better.However, there are times when she seems incapable of staying off her high horse. Yes, the sexual double standard is wrong - but it was still wrong the first dozen times the writer mentioned it.And yes, no one should harm prostitutes (even though one of the more fascinating revelations is that at least 3 of the 5 victims were no such thing.) But it got a little insulting that she seemed to feel that I needed to be constantly reminded of that, especially in the entire last section. At the very least, people who actively disagree with that are highly unlikely to be reading such a book in the first place.Her grasp of prostitution in London of the time could do with reading Judith Flanders's (pbuh) work. A lot of her sources seemed to be clear fantasy and Victorian pornography.In many ways, my rating might be unfairly low, considering the enjoyment and instruction I derived from much of it. But I spent more time than I would've like feeling like the author was jabbing me in the chest and berating me for beliefs I don't hold.

An excellently researched and balanced look into the backgrounds of the murdered women. The book tells their stories, the ups and downs of their lives, in a balanced and sympathetic way. This book is not about solving the murders or obsessing about the grisly details. It’s about bringing the five women to life and understanding the precarious nature of working class life in Victorian England, particularly for women. Brava!

I've just started reading this book and I can't put it down. Polly, Annie, Elizabeth, Catherine and Mary Jane have been forgotten about by many and the focus has mainly been about who committed these abhorrent murders. Hallie Rubenhold has written a wonderful book that tells us all about the women who were so brutally murdered. The back of the book is especially important 'The victims of Jack the Ripper were never "Just prostitutes" the were daughters , wives, mothers, sisters and lovers. They were women. They were human beings'

I have read many true crime books over the years, and they have always focused on infamous killers with little thought given to the victims. I’m sure you can all think of a list of infamous killers, but can you remember any of the victims’ names or their life stories? Probably not I know I can’t, which is desperately sad. This book provides the reader with an incredible insight into the five victims of Jack The Ripper, Polly, Annie, Elizabeth, Catherine and Mary-Jane. Yes, they were victims of the most atrocious crimes, but Helen Rubenhold’s The Five finally gives these women a voice. Beautifully written the author brings 1888 London to life, but more importantly she brings to life the five women, giving them back their dignity, which for almost 150 years they have been cruelly denied.As a reader of true crime I have read many books on Jack The Ripper and many of them describe the five victims as prostitutes, a fact that obscured the truth about the women’s real life’s, (only one of the five women sold her body for money). Even back in 1888 the victims of Jack The Ripper were blighted by ‘here say’ and speculation, they were shaped and embellished to make the crimes more newsworthy (sound familiar?). As most of the victims had no permanent roof over their heads or a husband to protect them, they were seen to be outcasts and so considered to be corrupt and impure, they faced violence, abuse, lived day to day, hungry, cold and unloved, was it any wonder every single one of the woman had struggled with alcohol addiction.Towards the end of their short life’s circumstances for each woman changed, either through bad choices or misfortune. Perceived to be either “broken women” or “fallen women” It’s at this point they were treated with contempt, and even in death the rumour mill spewed false accusations and showed little sympathy for the Ripper’s victims. None of the women were treated as individual victims in death, but were banded together as victims of “an unfortunate class”, which made me angry and incredibly sad. For the first time ever someone has taken the time to share their stories, they are desperately sad and harrowing but at the same time we see them as wife’s, daughters, and mothers, who faced adversary, and poverty, where every day was a struggle for survival, sometimes wrong choices were made, but then the choices these women had were very limited by circumstances.Helen Rubenhold’s descriptions of a London in 1888 are vividly described, the sounds, the smells, the doss houses, overcrowded slums, the pubs, transport you back to an age where poverty, malnutrition and disease were rife. It’s obvious the author has extensively researched her subject. Although some parts are speculative, she has incorporated as much factual detail where ever possible. I should mention, if you’re expecting gruesome details of the murders of these five women, or another theory to the ripper’s identity then this book won’t be for you. If you are looking for a powerful book, that blends true crime and one that’s rich in historical detail, that gives a voice to #FiveWoman, Polly, Annie, Elizabeth, Catherine and Mary-Jane, then The Five is definitely a book I would recommend.