Book 5 of the Reading challenge - Based on a true story.
Many books have been written about Jack the ripper, who was he etc, while the victims are 'forgotten', pushed aside, bystanders in their own story.
Although this book is based on facts known from the census of the time some parts are guesswork and the author is very honest about this. Clearly stating facts when known, or starting passages with 'she could have' or 'might have' when not known or sure of facts.
This book is an excellent study in Victorian London, especially living conditions. It describes the life styles, housing, poverty, homelessness, workhouses, diseases and struggles of every day life in Victorian times. It was very bleak. The harshness especially as a woman, the powerlessness.
Most stories describe the women as prostitutes, however there is no evidence to suggest that 3 of the 5 were at all. At least 2 were separated from their husbands and 'living a single life at child bearing age' and 'being sexually immoral'. This was acceptable for men, but not for women. Why does it even matter if they were prostitutes ? They were also wives, mothers, sisters, friends - each one was still a person.
The women didn't all come from London, but from Wolverhampton, Wales and Sweden ! They had various jobs, running coffee houses, working in fleet street on the printing presses, on country estates, even escaping people traffickers. Each had lived an interesting but difficult life that was not mentioned other than her death, until this book. Finally these women have been given their lives back.
No comments:
Post a Comment