People of Abandoned Character
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- Create Date：2021-08-02 07:51:59
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Clare Whitfield
- ISBN：1838932755
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Summary
'Astonishing 。。。 I'd be amazed if it isn't dominating the shortlists come next year's awards season' M。W。 CRAVEN。 Marry in haste。。。 Murder at leisure？ London， 1888: Susannah rushes into marriage to a young and wealthy surgeon。 After a passionate honeymoon， she returns home with her new husband wrapped around her little finger。 But then everything changes。 Thomas's behaviour becomes increasingly volatile and violent。 He stays out all night， returning home bloodied and full of secrets。 The gentle caresses she enjoyed on her wedding night are now just a honeyed memory。 When the first woman is murdered in Whitechapel， Susannah's interest is piqued。 But as she follows the reports of the ongoing hunt for the killer， her mind takes her down the darkest path imaginable。 Every time Thomas stays out late， another victim is found dead。 Is it coincidence？ Or is her husband the man they call Jack the Ripper？
Reviews
Rami
，
Picking up this book， I didn’t know what to expect， especially as I do not usually go for this genre， but I was pleasantly surprised。 The only thing I didn’t like about this book was the last 100 pages， it was the ending I expected but didn’t want - but even still it was beautifully executed and I still enjoyed it。
MRS M JONES
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Very gripping。 Fab ending。
Kimberly
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Full of deception， greed， murder， abuse， stark class differences， and desperation。 Set in London too busy to take notice。
Brenda
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This is one of those books that I am left with a wishy washy feeling。 I did get caught up in the story and read through it pretty quickly。 It kept reminding me of the book OUTLAWED by Anna North。 If you liked that book you will like this one。 Women in a less than ideal situations that fight their way out through questionable means to end up at their happy place （at any cost！） There are poisonings， illicit love， slashing， sexual abuse， drug use， blackmail， and lots of gore。 But the name of the bo This is one of those books that I am left with a wishy washy feeling。 I did get caught up in the story and read through it pretty quickly。 It kept reminding me of the book OUTLAWED by Anna North。 If you liked that book you will like this one。 Women in a less than ideal situations that fight their way out through questionable means to end up at their happy place （at any cost！） There are poisonings， illicit love， slashing， sexual abuse， drug use， blackmail， and lots of gore。 But the name of the books is。。。。 PEOPLE OF ABONDONED CHARACTER， after all！ Perfect title。 Also was reminiscent of the movie Gaslight， but bear in mind that Susannah in this story is not helpless Paula waiting for a man to come and rescue her。 Not sure that I was necessarily rooting for anyone， but I appreciated that no one was portrayed as a helpless victim， each character had a sense of their own responsibility in the choices they had made to put them were they were。 I am sure my review of this book will waiver as I let it sink in。 Right now probably a 3 1/2。 Some great sentences in the book:"The women came with an air of ominous melancholy， as if she were already a long-gone soul somehow trapped in her earthly body。""It was as if when a man was within his own household the credibility of his stories was beyond reproach， regardless of their ridiculousness to anyone else with eyes and ears。 ""。。。all the clever animals do it。 He crawls into the tiniest space he can find and makes his world very small。 It's a natural thing， when you're very scared， to make your world very small indeed。 The trick is to understand when the danger is gone， to be very brave and let the world be big again， or else there may as well be no world at all。"plus a touch of humor was welcome:"'They are simply not well bred，' said a women who appeared to be missing a chin， her lower jaw an apathetic bridge to her neck。 All those generations of good breeding had bred out the ability to fold a tablecloth， but then if you never had to fold your own， what use was a chin？" 。。。more
Carrie （literary_cosmos）
，
An outstanding debut rich with history and intrigue。 People of Abandoned Character was a fascinating story that I couldn't put down。 I read half of this in one sitting！ Whitfield does fantastic job mixing history with fiction and creates a thoughtful， heartbreaking take on the Jack the Ripper murders。 This story was rich in every aspect。 It did not disappoint。 Whitfield is an author to watch。 Highly recommend for historical fiction and murder mystery lovers。 I am very much looking forward to Whi An outstanding debut rich with history and intrigue。 People of Abandoned Character was a fascinating story that I couldn't put down。 I read half of this in one sitting！ Whitfield does fantastic job mixing history with fiction and creates a thoughtful， heartbreaking take on the Jack the Ripper murders。 This story was rich in every aspect。 It did not disappoint。 Whitfield is an author to watch。 Highly recommend for historical fiction and murder mystery lovers。 I am very much looking forward to Whitfield's next book。 People of Abandoned Character is available now！ 。。。more
Joan
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Perfect title for this book。
Sybil Mcguire
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Good godDAMN
Sarah
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I'm still undecided about the three star rating， but this is what I'm going with for now。 I'm not sure I liked this book， but I didn't really hate it either。 I was just kind of indifferent， but there are a few things that bothered me， which I will discuss in this review。This is a historical fiction set in the late 1800s， at the time of Jack the Ripper。 Susannah Chapman has rushed into marriage with a younger man。 After their honeymoon she soon realises that Thomas Lancaster is not the person she I'm still undecided about the three star rating， but this is what I'm going with for now。 I'm not sure I liked this book， but I didn't really hate it either。 I was just kind of indifferent， but there are a few things that bothered me， which I will discuss in this review。This is a historical fiction set in the late 1800s， at the time of Jack the Ripper。 Susannah Chapman has rushed into marriage with a younger man。 After their honeymoon she soon realises that Thomas Lancaster is not the person she thought he was。 Stuck in a violent marriage， she also realises that Thomas is hiding something from her - he often doesn't return home， and stays away for long periods of time。 These times happen to coincide with the Ripper murders， and she starts to wonder if he might be the Ripper that the police are looking for。 I was a bit concerned going into this one that it would take the same tact that many fiction and non-fiction books do about the murders of Mary Ann Nichols， Catherine Eddowes， Annie Chapman， Elizabeth Stride and Mary Jane Kelly， which is to paint them all as prostitutes and focus more on the Ripper。 While this book doesn't entirely go down that route， and the victims lives are briefly covered， they are all shown to be prostitutes。 Don't get me wrong， there is absolutely nothing wrong with being one， and given the conditions that poor people had to live in at the time， who can blame women for doing such things to get enough money to get a place to sleep or a meal。 But after reading The Five by Hallie Rubenhold， I realised that there was much more to the women than how the press of the time （and many people since） have depicted the victims， and I was sorry to see that this book kind of fell into the same trap。 That being said， one of the things I liked about this was the detail that the author put in， especially about the conditions of the poor。 Another thing that bothered me about this was the depiction of the gay men of the time。 This delves into spoiler territory， but basically， Susannah's husband is out a lot because he's secretly visiting what was known then as a 'mollie's club' where men used to go and have sex with other men in secret。 Susannah follows him there one night， and despite herself having been in love with another woman， feels mainly disgust with what she sees going on there。 There's little sympathy。 That being said， Susannah is in an abusive relationship。 Despite any sympathy you may have for Thomas having to hide his sexuality （and Susannah hers）， you immediately lose that sympathy knowing that Thomas frequently beats his wife and is basically gaslighting her throughout the whole book。 It's classic abusive behaviour， telling her that she isn't seeing what she is seeing， doesn't hear what she hears， and turning it around so that everything is her fault。 It makes for very difficult reading， if I'm honest， because I know people who have been through such situations。There is also a lot of discrimination towards Jewish people in here， as a lot of Jewish people lived around Whitechapel at the time。 Antisemitism has always been around， but I didn't understand the need for it here。 The problem with this book is that the main character frequently thinks and does awful things， including saying awful things about Jewish people in front of a Jewish doctor （who she is relying on for help no less） and barely gets called out for it at all。 Why the doctor goes on to help her when she is so unpleasant is beyond me。 The whole ending of this book was very confusing to me as well。 Basically there's some secret scientist club going on where they pay for organ harvesting， which is implied is behind the Ripper murders。 Both Thomas and the Jewish doctor are a part of the club。 It was a bit confusing and all over the place， and to be honest， I didn't like what the author did with Mary Jane Kelly's death， either。 I found it to be disrepectful， as well as borrowing heavily from that movie with Johnny Depp in it。 Can't remember the name now， but a similar 'switch' went on in that film。In fact， now that I think about it the whole 'housekeeper hates the new wife' thing was borrowed （Rebecca is the most well-known example of this plot point） and most likely some other parts， too。 It just felt a bit unoriginal， rushed， and all over the place。 The plot frequently jumps around in time， going back to when Susannah was a nurse and made friends with another nurse there called Aisling。 Aisling has nothing to do with the plot， except maybe to make us sympathise with Susannah for having lost her lover。 Mabel， too， has little to do with the plot。 The time jumps just ended up disrupting the flow and making me rush through them to get to the 'present' storyline。 Overall， I didn't much enjoy this book。 I didn't hate it， though， despite my complaints， which is why it ended up as three stars。 Maybe I'll change my mind in the future。 I don't know。 I doubt I'll read this one again， though。 。。。more
Sarah
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Great book。 Really， really enjoyed it。 Great characters， lovely twists and we'll written。 Great book。 Really， really enjoyed it。 Great characters， lovely twists and we'll written。 。。。more
Alejandra
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What an enraging book this is！ I mean， it is the perfect theory as to who was Jack the Ripper， but lovelies， I could not have been angrier about the situation Sussanah put herself in， and REMAINED IN！！ Just wanted to jump inside the pages， slap some sense into her， and then let her get on。Anyway， this is the story about Susannah， a nurse at the London hospital。 Introverted and with very little self esteem， she manages to snatch up one of the most coveted bachelor surgeons in the city。Susannah an What an enraging book this is！ I mean， it is the perfect theory as to who was Jack the Ripper， but lovelies， I could not have been angrier about the situation Sussanah put herself in， and REMAINED IN！！ Just wanted to jump inside the pages， slap some sense into her， and then let her get on。Anyway， this is the story about Susannah， a nurse at the London hospital。 Introverted and with very little self esteem， she manages to snatch up one of the most coveted bachelor surgeons in the city。Susannah and Thomas get married and honeymoon is bliss！ Oh， but when they return home， a darker， violent side of Thomas emerges， making Susannah question everything， up to the point that she starts to suspect Thomas might be the new serial killer roaming the city called Jack the Ripper。Who is he？ Where does he go at night？ Why does he return covered in blood？ Who can help her， and will she end up suffering the same fate as all the murdered women？Damn good this book is！ 。。。more
Ward
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DNF at 41%
Tara
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Intrigue， social history， and a different spin on Jack the Ripper， I thoroughly enjoyed this read。 Susannah has married to elevate herself to another class level and soon realizes her husband is prone to rage and secrets。 As Jack the Ripper makes his mark in London， Susannah suspects her husband may have something to do with the murders。 It was a compelling read。
Tara Codling
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I enjoyed this book overall。 The Jack the Ripper theory actually makes a lot of sense to me， given the historical context。 My only complaint is that the storyline of Susannah and Aisling’s ‘affair’ is not fleshed out， and felt a little lazy; almost as if it could have not been in there at all and would have made no difference。 It kind of felt like it was just popped in to tick a box of LGBT storyline。 It’s hinted at here and there， and there’s one section that kind of dances around the obvious， I enjoyed this book overall。 The Jack the Ripper theory actually makes a lot of sense to me， given the historical context。 My only complaint is that the storyline of Susannah and Aisling’s ‘affair’ is not fleshed out， and felt a little lazy; almost as if it could have not been in there at all and would have made no difference。 It kind of felt like it was just popped in to tick a box of LGBT storyline。 It’s hinted at here and there， and there’s one section that kind of dances around the obvious， but it just felt tonkenistic to me。 。。。more
Dessie
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I found this book really interesting to listen to， I am not 100% sure I would have liked it as much reading it。 Interesting view on Jack the Ripper， I also enjoyed the rights of women topic dispersed throughout without being preachy。 There were a few really gruesome parts that I wish I had skipped through， but all in all it wasn't too bad in that regard。 I found this book really interesting to listen to， I am not 100% sure I would have liked it as much reading it。 Interesting view on Jack the Ripper， I also enjoyed the rights of women topic dispersed throughout without being preachy。 There were a few really gruesome parts that I wish I had skipped through， but all in all it wasn't too bad in that regard。 。。。more
Camille
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Amazing。 Enthralling。 Terrifying。
Hayley
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 4。5 stars。 A really fun book， not my usual genre of choice。 I used to steer away from thrillers and other types of books because I felt they were almost cheap "single use" books， but I really enjoyed reading this！ I found the plot somewhat slow in the first couple of chapters， but then it really picked up it's pace about a quarter of the way in。 Of course this book does not explicitly identify Thomas as the ripper， as the identity of the ripper was never discovered， but the writer uses creative 4。5 stars。 A really fun book， not my usual genre of choice。 I used to steer away from thrillers and other types of books because I felt they were almost cheap "single use" books， but I really enjoyed reading this！ I found the plot somewhat slow in the first couple of chapters， but then it really picked up it's pace about a quarter of the way in。 Of course this book does not explicitly identify Thomas as the ripper， as the identity of the ripper was never discovered， but the writer uses creative license to heavily imply that， in this world at least， Thomas is the ripper。 I'll be honest， the ending was a bit much - it was all a bit too In Your Face ridiculous， what with the double murder， the elaborate scheme of using Mrs Wiggs' body to look like someone else， Susannah travelling to Helen Lancaster， and Helen taking Susannah at her word。 I would have much preferred if it turned out that Thomas was not the ripper， but that Shivershev had been， and Thomas had been acting the way he did because he was trying to cover up what Shivershev was doing。 But then again， it's not my story， it's Clare Whitfield's and I respect the direction she chose for the story。Despite all that I've said， this was a fantastic book and my disappointment in the ending does not take away from what was a really great experience and gripping read！ 。。。more
Lucy
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I was really intrigued by this book due to the Jack the ripper theme。 I was however disappointed to find that it centred more around a whiney and weak wife。 Although I enjoyed the overall story， the dislikable characters severely impacted the novel for me。 It was still entertaining and I did enjoy it but I wouldn't rush to read it again。 I was really intrigued by this book due to the Jack the ripper theme。 I was however disappointed to find that it centred more around a whiney and weak wife。 Although I enjoyed the overall story， the dislikable characters severely impacted the novel for me。 It was still entertaining and I did enjoy it but I wouldn't rush to read it again。 。。。more
Mary
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Graphic without being titillating， cruel and cringey with no remarkable story， and with a backend that was tough to follow。
Olivia Biondo
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The last hundred pages？？？？？ Omg？？？？？
Ruth Wilkinson
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This was quite fun but there were some really irritating little bits to it。 Like when she is given a platinum diamond engagement ring。 Such a thing would not have been at all normal for the time。 There were a few times where it just grated because it was poor history。 I am aware it's not a non fiction piece of history but they're simple things to have had proofed。 This was quite fun but there were some really irritating little bits to it。 Like when she is given a platinum diamond engagement ring。 Such a thing would not have been at all normal for the time。 There were a few times where it just grated because it was poor history。 I am aware it's not a non fiction piece of history but they're simple things to have had proofed。 。。。more
BTB
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The storyline is INCREDIBLE and such a unique take on Jack the Ripper。 Had me hooked from the beginning！ Go read it！！
Sophie
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This was a really interesting read and a unique perspective on the Jack the Ripper story。 Susannah is a nurse in Victorian London， when she marries a wealthy surgeon she thinks her life is made。 However， as soon as they set up home her husbands temperament changes， he becomes short tempered and violent。 At the same time women are being killed at an alarming rate and morbid curiosity in the murders is running high。 With her husbands movements becoming increasingly suspect， Susannah begins to wond This was a really interesting read and a unique perspective on the Jack the Ripper story。 Susannah is a nurse in Victorian London， when she marries a wealthy surgeon she thinks her life is made。 However， as soon as they set up home her husbands temperament changes， he becomes short tempered and violent。 At the same time women are being killed at an alarming rate and morbid curiosity in the murders is running high。 With her husbands movements becoming increasingly suspect， Susannah begins to wonder if her the man known as Jack the Ripper could be the man she married。Jack the Ripper is a figure that has captured many imaginations， mainly because the truth is not clear。 Whitfield’s version of event seems like it could well be true， certainly the situation Susannah finds herself in with her husbands violence feels all too real， even in the modern day。 Susannah is a fine example of a strong woman with a backstory that highlights this， it is sad to follow her struggles with the constraints of being a woman during this time。 The development of her character is so well written。I do feel other characters could have been explored in more depth， but it was perhaps necessary to maintain the air of mystery to keep the focus largely on Susannah。 The writing is descriptive and pulls you right in to Victorian London。 It’s a little slow to start but soon pulls you in for the second half with great setup for the final reveals。 Whitfield doesn’t shy away from the gory elements of the story either and the stakes always feel high。 Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
sambk
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Really interesting take on Jack the Ripper - I was in London and went on a Jack the Ripper tour a few days ago （during the time that I read this book） and all of it came to life！
Lara Johnson
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Incredible read！
Sifa Poulton
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I received an ARC of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review。 It has not affected my opinions。CW: domestic abuse， sexual violence， gore， suicide ideationContinuing with the theme of me reading more historicals this year， I requested this ARC ahead of the UK paperback publication。This is not a happy read。 You can probably guess that from the subject matter， but it's not an uplifting book。 It's a thriller and an examination of a poisoned marriage - and thus has quite a lot of I received an ARC of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review。 It has not affected my opinions。CW: domestic abuse， sexual violence， gore， suicide ideationContinuing with the theme of me reading more historicals this year， I requested this ARC ahead of the UK paperback publication。This is not a happy read。 You can probably guess that from the subject matter， but it's not an uplifting book。 It's a thriller and an examination of a poisoned marriage - and thus has quite a lot of content warnings。I did appreciate that the book didn't try and make Susannah an unreliable narrator， or have her suddenly double-guessing herself/wondering if what she'd seen was all in her head。 Her husband and the housekeeper certainly try and make it out that way （more for the public than actually making her perceive it） but Susannah never believes it。 I think it might have felt a bit too cliché if that had happened， as it's almost the expected thing。 Without that element， the tension can build over how far Thomas will go （and if it actually was him。）The book is largely told from Susannah's perspective as she reads about the murders and suffocates in her new home and marriage。 Interspersed with this personal unravelling are chapters from the perspectives of some of the victims on their final nights that stop just before or just as they are grabbed。 It helped give other perspectives on their lives and situations， making them more than sensational murders。 Plus it helped bring Whitechapel to life more。 These， however， are not the goriest chapters - in fact， they're pretty ungory。 Instead， it is the ending that is pretty gory， and the events around Susannah's escape。The book also contains flashbacks/recollections of her earlier life。 It did take a bit of getting used to， and that its purpose might not to be obvious。 But once I got my head around the whole book being a bit more of a lit fic style that I am used to （in terms of structure）， it was a lot easier to understand。 。。。more
Eleanor
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4。5 This was strange， lovely， dark， awful， mysterious and sneaky。 Not what I was exacting at all but I was pleasantly surprised！ I was very impressed with the detail and historical accuracy’s Would recommend for fans for The Miniaturist
George Slade
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I randomly grabbed this from the library， and I was really pleased that I did。 It's a fun yet very dark story。 It skirts along the edge of so many lines， but it keeps your interest peaked and your morals in question。 After you read this， ask yourself， did the doc at the end mean to do what he did in the way he did it， or did he just go with it afterward？ I randomly grabbed this from the library， and I was really pleased that I did。 It's a fun yet very dark story。 It skirts along the edge of so many lines， but it keeps your interest peaked and your morals in question。 After you read this， ask yourself， did the doc at the end mean to do what he did in the way he did it， or did he just go with it afterward？ 。。。more
Samantha King
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‘People of Abandoned Character’ by Clare Whitfield is the fictional story of a woman living in Victorian London who believes she may be married to Jack the Ripper。 I love true crime， I am fascinated by the Victorian era， a fan of historical fiction with a particular interest in Jack the Ripper so this book ticks a lot of boxes for me！ What struck me most was it’s depiction of women and how they were completely at the mercy of and disposable to men， no matter their class or social status。 I think ‘People of Abandoned Character’ by Clare Whitfield is the fictional story of a woman living in Victorian London who believes she may be married to Jack the Ripper。 I love true crime， I am fascinated by the Victorian era， a fan of historical fiction with a particular interest in Jack the Ripper so this book ticks a lot of boxes for me！ What struck me most was it’s depiction of women and how they were completely at the mercy of and disposable to men， no matter their class or social status。 I think we all know something of how people， especially women， of the lower classes had a pretty rough time of it but we rarely seem to see how even women of higher status （like the novel’s main protagonist， Susannah） also found themselves trapped in loveless， violent and manipulative relationships that they felt they could not leave。 Society shunned women who did not have a husband or male relative （a fact supported by the real stories of the canonical five victims of the Ripper; none of his victims were actually sex workers but have been portrayed that way by media/society after separating from husbands & families。 Go read The Five by Hallie Rubenhold if you haven’t already， it’s fantastic）。 The author has done a great job of seamlessly weaving the lives of her characters， all of whom jump off the page， with snippets about the real victims。 There’s some real twists at the end too that I didn’t see coming but are just slightly too fantastical （the way the final murder of Mary Kelly is portrayed just didn’t sit right with me）， hence only the 4 stars。 。。。more
Elizabeth
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'We are told when we are young to stay indoors， to never venture out at night， and we are raised on fairy tales in which we are in danger of being devoured by beasts at every turn， and yet， a woman who dares to think and find ways to defend herself by learning about the very monster who haunts her is somehow an abomination。 What do men expect a good woman to be， doctor？ I'm sure I don't know。。。 'People of Abandoned CharacterClare Whitfield London。 1888。 Susannah rushes into marriage to a young a 'We are told when we are young to stay indoors， to never venture out at night， and we are raised on fairy tales in which we are in danger of being devoured by beasts at every turn， and yet， a woman who dares to think and find ways to defend herself by learning about the very monster who haunts her is somehow an abomination。 What do men expect a good woman to be， doctor？ I'm sure I don't know。。。 'People of Abandoned CharacterClare Whitfield London。 1888。 Susannah rushes into marriage to a young and wealthy surgeon。 After a passionate honeymoon， she returns home with her new husband wrapped around her little finger。 But then everything changes。 His behaviour becomes increasingly volatile and violent。 He stays out all night， returning home bloodied and full of secrets。 Lonely and frustrated Susannah starts following the gruesome reports of a spate of murders in Whitechapel。 But as the killings continue her mind takes her down the darkest path imaginable。 Every time he stays out late， another victim is found。 Is it coincidence？ Or is her husband the man the papers call Jack the Ripper。。。The darkness of Victorian London is realised in this fantastic debut novel。 A chilling， gripping and original take on the worlds most notorious serial killer， this astonishingly brilliant and shockingly disturbing story is not for the faint hearted。 The author has certainly done her research。 Her descriptions of the work houses， the squalor， the sights， the smells， the death and the poverty were some of the most convincing I have ever read and really capture what London was like at this time。Victorians， particularly the upper class had a macabre obsession with the weird and the strange， usually exacerbated by the extreme amounts of laudunum consumed especially by rich， bored， married housewives。 The Jack the Ripper murders provided all the scandal people of society wanted and needed。 The fact that it remains unsolved adds to the originality of this story。 It is not beyond the realms of possibility。A stark warning - the author does not hold back。 During a time where science and medicine were at the forefront， and anatomy and physiology an obsession， there are grotesque descriptions of autopsies， murders， removal of organs and back street abortions。 There are disturbing scenes of gratuitous domestic violence and chilling scenes of opium induced mental abuse。 Some of this is uncomfortable to read but it highlights brilliantly the treatment of women from the upper classes right down to the gutter classes。 It is dark， macabre， shocking， compelling， thrilling， disturbing， astonishing and， quite frankly one of the best books I have ever read。 If you like Ripper stories， enjoy Gothic literature and are fascinated by Victorian London then purchase this immediately。 5 stars from me 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟📖📖 。。。more
Sam Schroder
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