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

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.

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.

I found this book facinating and an absorbing read about until now the five victims behind the terrible events of late 19th Century Whitechapel. It was interesting to read about the early lives of the women killed by 'Jack The Ripper' and indeed follow their unexpected path to the fate that cut their lives tragically short. It dispelled inbred beliefs about the women and put a new complexion on their lives. I felt it brought Whitechapel in the late 1800's vividly to life and one could almost imagine being in the narrow dark streets and alley ways. I struggled to put this narrative down so that speaks volumes for the author and the book's content.

I have mixed feelings about this book - it's true that there aren't many written about the lives of the Ripper victims before they acquired such a title. That in itself provides a fascinating and insightful perspective, because sadly over time they have lost their being regarded as women with lives, families and so forth and the focus is mainly on their deaths.So I do applaud the author for changing this and in doing so she's provided much more information than one will often get in a Ripper book.However, there is a tone given that makes the assumption that the reader has dismissed the victims as mere cannon fodder, and we are being told off for this throughout. It's quite a leap to make that assumption anyway, as while I'm sure there are people that think that, there are also many that don't follow that train of thought. We're reprimanded for thinking lower of the victims because the general consensus is that they were prostitutes, but again it's an assumption made by the author that this is the reader's view. For example I take that as a 'needs must' situation driven from desperation rather than any sort of wanton choice of career.Some of the theories are rather far fetched as well - claiming that the victims were killed whilst sleeping, for one. There is plenty of evidence to the contrary, but it seems that Rubenhold is so desperate to defy the prostitution notion that she refuses to believe they would be in the company of a man, whatever the circumstances.I don't dislike the book, but I'm not sure I'd read it again as I felt it was more being disciplined rather than reading for pleasure. There is new information that I wasn't aware of, and for that I'm thankful, but the seeming dislike toward me as a reader was jarring.