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The Five
- The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper
- Narrated by: Louise Brealey
- Length: 10 hrs and 20 mins
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The Five
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Summary
Five devastating human stories and a dark and moving portrait of Victorian London - the untold lives of the women killed by Jack the Ripper.
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 coffeehouses and 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. The person responsible was never identified, but the character created by the press to fill that gap has become far more famous than any of these five women.
For more than a century, newspapers have been keen to tell us that ‘the Ripper’ preyed on prostitutes. Not only is this untrue, as historian Hallie Rubenhold has discovered, it has prevented the real stories of these fascinating women from being told. Now, in this devastating narrative of five lives, Rubenhold finally sets the record straight, revealing a world not just of Dickens and Queen Victoria but of poverty, homelessness and rampant misogyny. They died because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time - but their greatest misfortune was to be born a woman.
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What listeners say about The Five
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- M. Orchard
- 28-10-20
Excellent except for the narration
The story of these women is fascinating, brilliantly researched and told against a back-drop of social history. To at last know the story of these women's lives is very moving. It makes one wonder why their stories have not been told before. Sorry but the reader reminded me of someone reading aloud at school, strangely stinted reading with the wrong intonation and awful accents and at times too fast - made me want to buy the book instead of listening.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- kate bluffield
- 22-01-21
The Five
Excellent narration (and choice of narrator).... Such an interesting, thought provoking and tragic account of these women’s lives... made me feel very lucky to have been born in later times... definitely in my most favourite audiobooks (and I’ve listened to a lot)...... five stars
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jessica
- 08-06-19
Beautifully written with true compassion.
A brilliantly researched insight in to the real lives of these women, this book will challenge what you thought you knew about Jack the Rippers victims.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Janie baker
- 08-01-20
such an interesting book highly recommended.
for all you ripperoligists out there
this is a brilliant book you get to know more about the victims.
SO interesting.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ollie's Nanna
- 08-01-20
loved it
everyone knows of the jack the ripper, this book makes his victims more human and at the centre of the story.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jonathan S.W. Bell
- 14-09-19
Absolutely Fascinating
This (thankfully) isn't another "who done it". This is a look at the overlooked; the victims.
Brilliantly written, and perfectly narrated; this really is an audiobook you will not regret purchasing.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Dominic
- 17-08-19
the unknown
until i listened to this the 5 victims of jsck the ripper were just names. now i have been given an insight into the lives of the 5vwomen so cruelly murdered
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 17-08-19
incredible book. very insightful
loved it. couldn't stop listening. very well researched
gave me a whole new perspective on important women
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lukagsd
- 02-08-19
Couldn't stop listening to this
An absolutely amazing book, extremely well researched and written also excellently read by Louise Brealey. It will make you reevaluate everything about the ripper victims and the hardships these poor women suffered in Victorian England.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Jishin
- 13-08-19
So much more than I even hoped for!
Compelling, well researched and beautifully written. Miss Rubenhold captures not only the lives of the five ladies who died but the essence of London during that time. This book presents a more comprehensive picture than I realised. A must read!
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