Hallie Rubenhold

WINNER OF THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE FOR NONFICTION 2019 THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'An angry and important work of historical detection, calling time on the misogyny that has fed the Ripper myth. Powerful and shaming' GUARDIAN Polly, Annie, Elizabeth, Catherine and Mary-Jane are famous for the same thing, though they never met. They came from Fleet Street, Knightsbridge, Wolverhampton, Sweden and Wales. They wrote ballads, ran coffee houses, lived on country estates, they breathed ink-dust from printing presses and escaped people-traffickers. What they had in common was the year of their murders: 1888. Their murderer was never identified, but the name created for him by the press has become far more famous than any of these five women. Now, in this devastating narrative of five lives, historian Hallie Rubenhold finally sets the record straight, and gives these women back their stories. WINNER OF THE GOODREADS CHOICE AWARDS FOR HISTORY 2019 PRAISE FOR THE FIVE 'Gripping' New York Times 'At last, the Ripper's victims get a voice... An eloquent, stirring challenge to reject the prevailing Ripper myth.' MAIL ON SUNDAY 'Devastatingly good. The Five will leave you in tears, of pity and of rage.' LUCY WORSLEY 'Dignity is finally returned to these unfortunate women.' PROFESSOR DAME SUE BLACK 'Haunting’ SUNDAY TIMES 'What a brilliant and necessary book' JO BAKER, author of Longbourn 'Beautifully written and with the grip of a thriller, it will open your eyes and break your heart.’ ERIN KELLY 'An outstanding work of history-from-below ... magnificent' THE SPECTATOR 'Deeply researched' THE NEW YORKER AWARDS FOR THE FIVE - Winner of the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-fiction 2019 - Hay Festival Book of the Year 2019 - Shortlisted for the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction - Shortlisted for the Historical Writers' Association Non-Fiction Crown Award - A New York Times, Sunday Times, Daily Mail, GQ, Washington Post, Oprah Winfrey Magazine and Independent Summer read/History Book of the Year - Winner of the Goodreads Choice Awards for History 2019

The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper

The Five

From someone who didn't know much about this, this was such an interesting read. I found myself wishing I could change their outcomes. It shined a light on how difficult life was in this time when you weren't born rich and showed the impossibility of escaping poverty and the poor houses. I found that whenever I mentioned the victims to anyone, they would ask "weren't they prostitutes?", which really girded my loins. Demonstrated how everyone made assumptions about these women, and it was the only thing that people remembered about them, even when it was mostly gossip. Just tragic all around.

Sarah Campbell

Miscast in the media for nearly 130 years, the victims of Jack the Ripper finally get their full stories told in this eye-opening and chilling reminder that life for middle-class women in Victorian London could be full of social pitfalls and peril.

4.75 of 5 stars

----- 

We have grown so comfortable with the notion of 'Jack the Ripper,' the unfathomable, invincible male killer, that we have failed to recognize that he continues to walk among us. 

By embracing him, we embrace the set of values that surrounded him in 1888, which teaches women that they are of a lesser value and can expect to be dishonored and abused

In order to keep him alive, we have had to forget his victims.

It is only by bringing these women back to life that we can silence the Ripper and what he represents. By permitting them to speak, by attempting to understand their experiences and see their humanity, we can restore to them the respect and compassion to which they are entitled. 

The victims of Jack the Ripper were never "just prostitutes; they were daughters, wives, mothers, sisters and lovers. They were women. They were human beings, and surely that in itself is enough.


This is book is just exceptional and heartbreaking. I can't begin to explain how much this book showed me the importance of knowing the other sides of the murders of 'Jack the Ripper'. How little we know about the lives of those unfortunate victims compared to how much information we obtain about the murderer himself for the past centuries. How so much attention he was able to gather regardless of not knowing who he was compared to the forgotten lives of those women. We didn't even bother to know how one-sided the story was. And I commend the author for dedicating her time, the deep-digging research she had made to be able to show the world that there is more to the story than the surface we've always known.

I can't even express how I despise the biased opinion during the Victorian era regarding women. How easy they accused them of something humiliating just because they were poor and they were women. The degradation they suffered, that even after their death, was still grasping their name. That even without enough evidence of being a prostitute, a lot of them were treated as if they were less of a human. Not that being a prostitute can earn them the warrant of being abused and punished. No one should feel less of what they really are. Even to this day, being a woman can't guarantee you enough. Even with a different era, the real value of a person still depends on the gender. Behind the modern day, humiliation and the unfair treatment still exists. 

Retracing the steps of every victims from the beginning until their last moments, it was so tragic. Seeing how they lived their lives with so much burden, no one can compare the pain they've felt. I am so thankful for this book for sharing the women's pain and sufferings to us. If only people can be more open-minded, then and now, it would have been so much better.

Polly, Annie, Elizabeth, Catherine and Mary-Jane are famous for the same thing, though they never met. They came from Fleet Street, Knightsbridge, Wolverhampton, Sweden and Wales. They wrote ballads, ran coffee houses, lived on country estates, they breathed ink-dust from printing presses and escaped people-traffickers. What they had in common was the year of their murders: 1888

Jamieson

At its very core, the story of Jack the Ripper is a narrative of a killers deep, abiding hatred of women. Our cultural obsession with the mythology surrounding Jack the Ripper only serves to normalise its particular brand of misogyny. We've grown so comfortable with these stories - the unfathomable male killer - that we've failed to recognise that he continues to walk among us."
 

I really really admire what the author did here. The Five is such an engaging book, highlighting not only some of the social conditions of the Victorian period, but also finally unveiling the lives of five women whose names and death are immortalised, but whose lives haven't been of much interest to the public. This book not only examines cultural beliefs and ideologies of the period, and acts as a study into Victorian life, but also creates a fascinating picture of five women who we know nothing about aside from their deaths. I was expecting a story about five lives and I got that - but I also got so many more context and information about the Victorian period that I found fascinating. 

Rubenhold doesn't attempt to solve the crimes - she just lets the voices of the women speak without contextualising them in their deaths. I thought the way Jack the Ripper is barely mentioned, except in the conclusion, was a powerful way to tell this story and I really appreciated Rubenhold's dedication and research that has gone into finally telling these women's stories. 

 One thing I particularly enjoyed was Rubenhold's linking of the mythologies around men like JTR, and the violence and abuse against women that continues to plague society. Rubenhold contextualises the deaths in our current culture well - examining how Victorian archetypes of "angel and whore" persist, and the Victorian media's and publication of the Ripper story which was heavily embedded in the idea that bad girls deserve punishment - has also persisted. Rubenhold critiques the mythology around JTR and similar serial killers, questioning why we praise their ~twisted genius~ in getting away with violent crimes against women, whilst also sweeping the victims lives under the rug.

I think some of the reviews saying this book tries to sympathise the victims because they weren't prostitutes isn't exactly what Rubenhold is trying to do. In fact, she explicitly outlines in the conclusion that it doesn't matter whether or not they were sex workers - they didn't deserve to die and they were complex women with whole lives. I think, however, she's trying to deconstruct the trope that all poor women are sex workers, and Jack the Ripper just hated sex workers (which was used to justify which his murders were okay) - when in reality it's more likely he just preyed on vulnerable women. 


  "In order to gawk at this figure of malevolence, we have stepped over, and in some cases, figuratively kicked, the corpses of the women he killed. 


I can only give it a four-star though - because the author engages in a little bit too much conjecture for me. I appreciate how difficult this would have been to piece together and research but that said, some of the assumptions made felt unfounded to me. "She must have felt this", "she must have done this" and similar statements rubbed me a little bit the wrong way. I appreciated Rubenhold trying to humanise the victims by assigning them these feelings and ideas but it strayed a little too far for me. Some of the conclusions felt like reaches. That said, I still think it's clear an enormous amount of research went into this - so I still really enjoyed it despite a few 'uhh' moments from me. 

Overall, I highly recommend picking this up if you have an interest in Jack the Ripper, victorian lives -or just want a great insight into five women's who's deaths have far out shadowed their lives in the public consciousness.

Amber Curran

Just could not get into it, was fun to read something outside my comfort zone though. Very interesting, but I feel it would have been better as a mini series where each women got their own novel, rather than one massive collection if that makes sense.

Charlotte Jones

It was beyond interesting! Listening to how much research and empathy went into creating this book was almost heartwarming, in comparison to the rather sad and dark information. It was an important look into the lives of women who were often looked-over.

SarahBeth

This is a must read! It provides an in-depth look at the lives of Polly, Annie, Elisabeth, Kate, and Mary Jane. It also shows what the Victorian era was like for working class/poor women. This book does a great job showing how we are all one misfortune away from a different path.

An informative read that provides an alternative look into both the victims of Jack the Ripper and the life of a woman in the 1800s. While engaging, it was slow at times and seemed to be trying to push for certain emotional responses. Overall, a book I'm glad I read and an author I would gladly read again. 

Miki Rose

For my true crime, history buff and serial killer enthusiasts..... The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed By Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold is AMAZING! 

Super quick read with a great attention to detail and ALL the footnotes and sources. Definitely nice to see someone focus on victims instead of perpetrators because it turns out only ONE of the five was a prostitute at the time of her death so pretty much 90% of the speculation about Jack's identity is true. Also amazing insight into life for women of several classes, backgrounds and lives in the Victorian era as well as tons of things that mirror a lot about what we still see in society's views on women, the home and relationships.

Cerys

Absolutely loved. I have never read historical non-fiction quite like this, it reads as though it is fiction but knowing this was the lives of real women makes this even more heartbreaking. The stories surrounding the Jack the Ripper case always focus on who was the killer, never who were the victims. Played off as prostitutes and women who didn't follow the societal norms it's almost as if they were they were the catalyst of the terror that surrounded the time but never mentioned more than their deaths. Rubenhold barely mentions their murderer unless at the end of their sections which references their final moments, but focuses on their lives and the struggles and pain that placed them around the Whitechapel area and eventually to their unfortunate demises. These women suffered through terrible times and as a result, landed them with the poorer of society which allowed them to slip through the cracks and to be portrayed as 'prostitutes' and an inevitable victim.
I would definitely recommend and the insightful and objective opinions and facts that Rubenhold presents sheds new light on one of the most famous murder cases in history.

THE MULTI AWARD WINNING #1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER ___ 'An angry and important work of historical detection, calling time on the misogyny that has fed the Ripper myth. Powerful and shaming.' GUARDIAN ___ Polly, Annie, Elizabeth, Catherine and Mary-Jane are famous for the same thing, though they never met. They came from Fleet Street, Knightsbridge, Wolverhampton, Sweden and Wales. They wrote ballads, ran coffee houses, lived on country estates, they breathed ink-dust from printing presses and escaped people-traffickers. What they had in common was the year of their murders: 1888. Their murderer was never identified, but the name created for him by the press has become far more famous than any of these five women. Now, in this devastating narrative of five lives, historian Hallie Rubenhold finally sets the record straight, and gives these women back their stories. ___ 'Devastatingly good. The Five will leave you in tears, of pity and of rage.' LUCY WORSLEY 'Fascinating, compelling, moving.' - BRIDGET COLLINS, author of THE BINDING ___ Awards for The Five include: - Winner of the BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE for Non-fiction 2019 - HAY FESTIVAL Book of the Year 2019 - Winner of the Goodreads Choice Awards for History 2019 PRAISE FOR THE FIVE 'Gripping' New York Times 'At last, the Ripper's victims get a voice... An eloquent, stirring challenge to reject the prevailing Ripper myth.' MAIL ON SUNDAY 'Devastatingly good. The Five will leave you in tears, of pity and of rage.' LUCY WORSLEY 'Dignity is finally returned to these unfortunate women.' PROFESSOR DAME SUE BLACK 'Haunting' SUNDAY TIMES 'What a brilliant and necessary book' JO BAKER, author of Longbourn 'Beautifully written and with the grip of a thriller, it will open your eyes and break your heart.' ERIN KELLY 'An outstanding work of history-from-below ... magnificent' THE SPECTATOR 'Deeply researched' THE NEW YORKER

Absolutely loved. I have never read historical non-fiction quite like this, it reads as though it is fiction but knowing this was the lives of real women makes this even more heartbreaking. The stories surrounding the Jack the Ripper case always focus on who was the killer, never who were the victims. Played off as prostitutes and women who didn't follow the societal norms it's almost as if they were they were the catalyst of the terror that surrounded the time but never mentioned more than their deaths. Rubenhold barely mentions their murderer unless at the end of their sections which references their final moments, but focuses on their lives and the struggles and pain that placed them around the Whitechapel area and eventually to their unfortunate demises. These women suffered through terrible times and as a result, landed them with the poorer of society which allowed them to slip through the cracks and to be portrayed as 'prostitutes' and an inevitable victims.
I would definitely recommend and the insightful and objective opinions and facts that Rubenhold presents sheds new light on one of the most famous murder cases in history.

Viry

Read this when I was not in a mood for non-fiction. However, I really liked how insightful this book was. It made me think about how we view serial killers and true crime and how we often times forget about the victims when they and their families have been hurt the most. They were woman horrifically murdered yet we immortalize the man that did the acts.

Alexandra Gillgrass

I absolutely zoomed through this book in a matter of days. I was so excited when I heard that this book was being released, what a great concept and it's pretty awful that something like this hasn't come about sooner. Hallie Rubenhold is an exquisite writer and when there's so much detail and information I think it's really easy for the writing to get lost, but hers didn't. The stories of these women are fascinating and heartbreaking. I was absolutely stunned as these women simply fell on hard times and were a complete victim of circumstance. I've read quite a lot of books on Jack the Ripper and it's true that the victims were always painted as common prostitutes, nobodies and no great loss to society. Hallie gives these women the story they deserved and it changes the whole perspective when thinking about the Whitechapel murders. Because these women weren't always like this; they were respectable, had jobs, had husbands and daughters and succumbed to a tragic end. The last chapter will leave you breathless. An absolute must-read.

Tannie Davidson

A story that desperately needed to be told

Lucy Hacker

A fascinating and thoroughly-researched insight into the lives of the “Canonical five” victims of Jack the Ripper. Well-written and hard to put down.

Paulina R.

What a book! Not exactly uplifting but an interesting (& important) statement. Makes me also really happy to be alive in this time period and not the 19th century.

erin s

a heartbreaking and humanizing foray into social history that uses mid-to-late Victorian society as a lens to explore the lives — not deaths — of the five women whose violent murders in 1888 Whitechapel would spark widespread fascination with the underbelly of London. i could not put this book down; Rubenhold’s accessible and engaging writing encompasses everything that makes both women’s history and social history so pertinent to contemporary society. loved it

Emma Myers

"In order to keep him alive, we have had to forget his victims."

Rubenhold, Hallie. The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper (p. 295). HMH Books. Kindle Edition.

Christine Liu

Polly Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes, and Mary Kelly are known today as the "canonical five", referring to the largely accepted belief that they were victims of Jack the Ripper. Much has been written about the grisly details of their deaths and about the possible identity of the man who murdered them, but Hallie Rubenhold's book focuses on who these five women were and the lives they likely led.

This book contains no mentions of the dehumanizing violence these five women met with at the end of their lives, nor speculation on who killed them. Instead, Rubenhold traces their family histories and constructs compelling narratives about the circumstances that brought each of them to London's East End. There is a lot of 'may have's and 'likely did's and 'believed to be's, but it is difficult to piece together lives of people hundreds of years after the fact based on records from a time when no one cared about these women. Whether or not they are perfectly accurate, these are five unique and compelling portraits of working class women in Victorian London, brought to life in vivid detail.

Rubenhold put a lot of emphasis on evidence that four of these five women were not prostitutes, as is commonly accepted in Ripper lore, and I've seen some reviews that view this as the author's intent to show that that somehow makes them more sympathetic. However, I don't believe there is any evidence for this. Rubenhold isn't arguing that we should feel sympathy for these women BECAUSE they weren't prostitutes; obviously, all women deserve to not be murdered whether or not they are engaged in sex work. What she does argue is that in a culture that has mythicized the figure of Jack the Ripper and that delights in the gore and spectacle of the murders he committed, we owe it to the victims to not only know who they were but to remember that they were real women who experienced tragedies and hardships.

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

Reviews