Love that this book focuses on Jack's victims rather than Jack as I feel he has been glorified enough. There still to this day people who are trying to find his identity, but while people know the moniker how many can actually name his victims? It's about time we give victims faces and show they are real people with real lives, which is exactly what Dr. Hume did.

Love the book very interesting and completely compelling had to keep reading a real page turner would definitely recommend this one

I've always been fascinated by the Ripper murders and for as long as I can remember I've wondered about the women in the photos. This is what I've been waiting for, with the focus on the victims instead of the killer. It's very well and compassionately done. I recommend it for anyone interested in history or true crime.

I loved the idea of a book being focused around the victims rather than the killer. Oftentimes, as it sometimes happens with Ted Bundy of Jeffrey Dahmer for example, killers are spoken of to the point of idolization, while the victims are often forgotten.
The only downside for me was the writing style. It is quality writing, very descriptive, but it failed to be gripping. I felt at times that I was reading an essay or an article.
This book was well-researched and the stories well interesting. I liked the images here and there. I found the concept fresh and unconventional.

If you enjoy true crime stories, you'll love this book.

DNF

I did not read this book and I know longer have any interest in reading it. This was during the beginning of my NetGalley “everything looks great so I am going to request it without looking into the book. I have definitely become more selective in choosing what books I want to request and read.

I was glad to find a book written about the Rippers victims and was looking forward to learning about them. sadly, This book wasn't exactly what I was expecting and was disappointed, I wasn't sure if it was a fictional or non-fictional work after a bit; it seemed a bit both. But I didn't care much for the writing style; too stiff. Others may find it a compelling read, I didn't. Photos were interesting and some gruesome, of the vistims. I had no idea photos existed of them. London most certainly was a grim place at the time...

Not as comprehensive as The Five, Introductory, potted histories, with some social context. The author is compassionate about the women and their lives. He manages to make them more than just 'prostitutes' as they are often depicted.ut a good place to start.

The subject matter about Jack the Ripper’s victims was very intriguing. However, Robert Humes kept describing how the victims felt and was thinking which out of place with a nonfiction work. Also for someone that has Hallie Rubenhold’s biography of Jack the Ripper’s victims, this book seems mostly like a rehash. Overall, I recommend this for those who knows very little of the infamous serial killer’s victims. However, I personally think this would have better written as a fiction novel.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this. I will be posting a full review to Goodreads, Amazon, and Instagram.

Found this book a very Interesting look at the victims of Jack the Ripper A look at the lives of the victims.Photographs added to the story of his victims.#netgalley#penn&sword

The aim of the book is look at the life's of the victims of Jack the Ripper instead of concentrating on their deaths, sadly this has been badly done.It is sadly let down by poor research by the author and amateurish mistakes. Examples of this being the photos he claims to be the victims in life there is no proof to this, another being he gives the wrong name for one of witnesses in Chapter 1. Sadly it brings nothing new to the historical murder case and sheds no new light on the victims. The only positive thing I can say about this book was the cover

To be very trufuly this book is very like The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold which come out first.

When you think of Jack the Ripper's victims, what's the first thing that comes to mind? Aside from the murders themselves, you probably think of the women as prostitutes. And although that was the case, there was more more to them than their profession. This book manages to explore many other aspects of their lives and personalities, and it also humanizes them in a way that very few books have. Definitely recommended to those who want to learn about something new about these unsolved murders rather than yet another rehash of the basic Jack the Ripper story.

In a bit of a change from my usual reviews I decided to delve into one of my more macabre interests, Jack the Ripper. It has always been something that has fascinated me (along with millions of others) and have always held in wonder the Victorian era, which aside from the flagrant pomposity of the elite was a time of great inventiveness, which saw some of the greatest works of literature produced, and unfortunately social divide, which provided enormous inspiration for the likes of Charles Dickens, but sadly didn’t benefit any of the people living in the slums of East London. And it is there that Robert Hume takes us in The Hidden Lives of Jack the Ripper's Victims.

Although I’m not sure how ‘hidden’ these victims of Jack the Ripper were, as there’s been so much written over the years, however it is refreshing to see more writing which focuses on the victims rather than just regurgitating the same theories and depictions that have been circulating the world for the past number of decades.

The Hidden Lives of Jack the Ripper's Victims takes us into the worlds of Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes and Mary Jane Kelly, and of the conditions and circumstances which lead them to their ultimate demises. Hume’s narrative is not just descriptive but sympathetic and emotive and really allows the reader to experience the squalid conditions in which people were subjected to live in East London, compared to the extravagance of West London, of which readers will have seen depicted as the image of Victorian society. In fact, the only emphasis of the actual investigation is provided in the book’s introduction.

Hume’s narrative explores the beginnings and ends of these unfortunate women who have frequently and repeatedly been cast as just drunks and prostitutes, which only exacerbated how these victims of some of the most horrific murders this country has witnessed is downplayed in order to fit a narrative which has so often focused solely on the perpetrator at the expense of the victim, which makes books such as The Hidden Lives of Jack the Ripper's Victims a worthy mention as a book that casts off the shackles of conformity and ease and takes a step in the victims direction and shouts “Here they are!”

In The Hidden Lives of Jack the Ripper's Victims these victims are provided with their own personal chapter, to tell their own individual stories, which I felt an appropriate way to address the subject. So often these stories can become mixed up and garbled by trying to interlace too many narratives at once, however, with each individual chapter dedicated to each one of these women it serves an ideal medium in which to tell their tales.

The Hidden Lives of Jack the Ripper's Victims is a welcome addition to the writings on the Whitechapel Murders, and allowing for a few spelling mistakes and misunderstandings the book is very well written, presented and researched.

•  The Hidden Lives of Jack the Ripper's Victims by Robert Hume is published by Pen & Sword Books (£15.99). To order a copy go to www.pen-and-sword.co.uk

With many books and movies written about Jack the Ripper this book focuses on who his victims were, what choices lead them to this point in life and why they have been one of the Ripper’s victims.

Thank you NetGalley and Pen and Sword Books for this advanced reader edition and hearing my honest review. Looking forward to reading more with you
#partners

In The Hidden Lives of Jack the Ripper's Victims, Dr Robert Hume takes the 5 women murdered by Jack the Ripper from prostitutes to fully realised people.

This book explores the lives of these women from their birth right through to their funerals and explores the tragedies and triumphs of their lives. These women had families and were loved just like any other person however history remembers them by their eventual occupations after falling on hard times and living in a society where women were largely treated as the property of men. There is no criticism of the women's choice to enter into sex work and Hume does not deny that all 5 women did sell sex.

In the final words of the book, Hume draws a painful comparison to the Yorkshire Ripper whose victims suffered a similar fate of being reduced to being simply known as prostitutes.

A final word of warning that Hume has included several images in this book including the mortuary photos of these 5 women. These are images that are not difficult to source however they are gruesome and many may find them disturbing.

This was such a good read, the book itself was well-written and researched. I was interested from the beginning to the end, it was able to provide new information and kept it interesting. Overall I really enjoyed reading this and look forward to more from the author.

I really enjoyed The Hidden Lives of Jack the Ripper’s Victims. The book discussed each of the victims individually giving us a brief insight into their lives before they were murdered. I also thought it was a good touch putting some photographs of the victims in the book too putting faces to their names.

I think there is a general sense that the focus on the women in this case was a long time coming! The research and rehearsal of lives and events is lovely. Perhaps unfairly to one or both, I read this concurrently with "The Five" a book of the same subject published earlier in the year. Honestly, I wouldn't want to choose. I gleaned some of the same, but enough different information and satisfaction from the style of them both. The only fault in this book is that the man himself is still featured in the title. A marketing choice? Don't know. But it is about Polly, Annie, Elizabeth, Catherine and Mary-Jane.

Well researched historical account of Jack the Ripper's victims and their backstory. Each chapter is dedicated to one of the women whose lives came to a grisly end at the hands of London's most notorious serial killer. While most know these women as prostitutes, this book tells the story of the events in these women's lived that lead to them having to ultimately have this label. These stories are heart wrenching tales of fiercely independent women just trying to survive. The author also uses this not only to tell the story of these women, but the world that was London's East End in 1888. While I appreciated this attention to detail, I felt that it may have taken away some from the stories of the victims themselves. Regardless, I got what I believe the author intended from this book - an opportunity to have the stories of the Ripper's victims told.

Well researched and descriptive, with images that support the reading. However, I had problems with the author's style and couldn't finish the book, but the idea is innovative, interesting and I'm sure many ripperologists will enjoy this book. It just wasn't for me.