This podcast is beautiful! It takes a brave person to speak up for the “little” people. I listen to a lot of true crime and I often wonder what the victims lives truly were. Thank you for what you are doing!

The content is interesting but the story is so overly dramatized and editorialized that it’s hard to tell what’s true and what’s just assumption about what might have happened, been said, etc. It’s also very clear that Rubenhold is caught up in her own biases, the same way she accuses others of being, but she doesn’t seem to notice that. She spends a lot of time complaining about others’ criticisms of her. The Ripper story is certainly a story worth telling, but tell it and let it speak for itself. She’s so heavy-handed, it’s hard to take. Also, yeah, the fake accent (which disappears in her interactions with others) is bad. Tells me pretty much everything I need to know.

This show is so well done. Love to hear the accurate and true history of things. I love their soothing, beautiful voices as well.

Yeah but I have no idea what it means I

I do appreciate the content of this podcast, particularly the first season; but I am rankled (perhaps unreasonably so) by Hallie Rubenhold’s fake British accent. As I understand it, she was born and lived in the United States until early adulthood. In the recordings of her conversations with her producer and interviews with guests, she doesn’t have a trace of a British accent but she lays it on thick while narrating the podcast. It’s just so bizarre and, to use the parlance of the times, super cringey.

I cringe at all the misogynistic one star reviews this podcast is getting. They show how far we still have to go. This podcast is refreshing in showing so much in-depth research and respect for victims. Which is something you don’t often experience in true crime, which typically focuses on the perpetrator. Listening to this podcast has made me realize how biased we are and how easily we dismiss victims. Hearing the backstory on all these women is an interesting look at history and an intimate portrait of these women’s lives. Truly fascinating and engaging. Love the narration and all the music and sound effects.

I am so impressed with the production value of this podcast. From the research to the dramatization to the astounding background audio and sound effects. I am embarrassed to admit the number of times I have listened while walking my dog, doing dishes, etc. to literally jump at the sound of a scream or think one of my kids is crying out in their sleep, only to realize it’s just the podcast. I hope you continue to come up with great ideas for future seasons.

No surprise about the misogyny!

Misogyny and everything could be the title here. Thanks for sharing you interesting and insightful work. Very good podcast.

When the podcast was announced, it seemed promising. I thought that Rubenhold was going to address some of the more problematic and vague details of The Five and make more of an attempt to flesh things out. What we got, though, was basically 15 episodes of a very smug and self-righteous Rubenhold lashing out at her critics and those who don’t agree with her, all the while doubling down on the claims she made in The Five. While she’s totally entitled to her opinion and her claims, it was the way she reacted to feedback about her work that is mostly the issue. Rubenhold was harassed by edgelords like Trevor Marriott and 4 or 5 other jerks, which should not have happened, and most Ripperologists condemned this. Most of her issue with the community is that they did not agree with her premise and they had questions about the work. Really, what disillusioned me is how she lashed out and bullied critics and reviewers on social media when the book was first released, and then used the podcast as another means of doing so. The way Rubenhold treated Patricia Cornwell, who had done nothing to her, was gross and uncalled for. But from what I have seen, this is Rubenhold’s pattern of behavior toward people who don’t agree with her or who don’t offer the feedback she prefers. At the end of the day, it’s not the work itself. It’s the way Rubenhold chose to treat people who didn’t agree on her, and this behavior only reflects upon her and shows the public who she is as a person. Hopefully she has reflected on this over the past year or so and has tried to do better. Time will tell.

I’m a podcast junkie and this is a great podcast! An excellent combo of history and true crime. The story tellers are amazing, the subjects well researched and emphasis is given to compassion for the victims. All to often in true crime it’s about glorifying the perpetrators. Not here. And can’t say enough about this show. I hope there are more seasons!!

The topics are well researched and well told. This is one of my favorite podcasts!

Skip this ad filled and disjointed rehash and just read the book The Five.

The sociological, historical, political background of how women found themselves in the path of a murderer, how their characters were besmirched, and how they were forgotten.

Although the author and host of this podcast has a very different position than typical Ripperologists, they do have one thing in common; they are both equally insufferable. Much like Ripperologists, her position is ‘I am right and everyone else is wrong’. She says Ripperologists use sources that can’t be trusted, but it’s obvious she uses the same and similar sources, but those can be trusted because they align with her views? She tries to shame others in wanting to know the identity of Jack the Ripper as if that’s wrong. As if she cannot conceive the possibility that other people have different interests. She makes the claim that knowing Jack the Ripper won’t change anything. Well neither will knowing anything about the victims. She dramatizes many aspects of the victims’ stories, stating things in a factual manner, that she couldn’t possibly know. She gives no supporting evidence of her claims, perhaps it’s one of those “you gotta buy the book for that” scenarios. But if this podcast is any indication, the book is probably not worth the read. I thought this would be a genuine look at these women’s lives, who they were, how they lived, and while it is in part, it ends up being drowned out by the chip the host seems to have on her shoulder. She spends a great deal of time talking about other people on how they’re wrong (much like Ripperologists do), like she’s bitter and angry that she’s not being showered with adoration by these people. When you spend any amount of time trying to tear others down to make your point, it’s a bad look. For this reason, she’s as insufferable as the Ripperologists she so despises. However I do agree with her, I wish the victims of these monsters were out on the forefront of story telling.

What a fascinating podcast! This is such deep and thorough insight into the women sadly memorialized in history by “Jack the Ripper.” We have always known everything about the killer, but all we know about the women are their names and the work they may have found themselves in to survive the poverty at this time. We have seen the gruesome pictures, but have never thought to learn more about those struggling in period of history. Charles Dickens wrote so much about the working class in England and the podcast almost feels like an extension of that scenery. We finally get to know the women’s personal lives and they are made into human beings, worthy for us to know so much more about them than only their senseless murders. It is such an intriguing approach, a very necessary one, given that we have been so enthralled by the killer and never once seemed to ask who the women were. Did they have families? Had they come from wealth but lost money? Did they have children? Could they sing? Excellent history, research, and narration.

I loved the first season and am really enjoying the second season as well. This is a refreshing and much needed reframing of the true crime genre of podcasts, etc, where the narrative is focused on the victims: who they were, what their lives were, and the society around them at the time. The host helps the listener understand the broader worlds and historical context these women lived in and how it shaped them. Looking forward to the rest of season two, and fingers crossed for a season three!

Great show but a little overboard on the disgust over how these women are remembered. What about all the other people murdered that also aren’t remembered. Or just pretty much everyone else in history. At least these women’s names are still spoken. More than 99.99999% of history’s forgotten humans with extraordinary lives. Also, it’s a little naive to believe that their situation in life is completely society’s fault. Plenty of women had these murder victims lives and didn’t turn to a life like those of the jacks victims.

This podcast is one I will recommend to everyone I know. The research is excellent and the story-telling poignant. Even those who aren’t interested in true crime will find value in this. It’s sad how the treatment of women has changed so little since Victorian times. This podcast really examines the way poverty and misogyny are intertwined with the incessant violence against women. Very thought provoking.

Excellent research and a fresh perspective on the topics.

I really enjoyed the first season and it opened my eyes to the lives of the women who were murdered. The emphasis on social history is excellent. I am really enjoying the second season and am grateful that Pushkin shared for free the bonus episode about “Britain’s brown babies.” A very important, heartbreaking, and touching episode.

Her contempt for Ripperologists is so personal and petty. Very distracting from the story of the women. Let it go. Tell the story. It isn’t all about you.

…was spot-on. There’s something deeply wrong with the host, and she should seriously consider seeking a therapist. Allow me to sum up the show for you: Woman (though she probably spells it as ‘womyn’) Power! Men bad! I’m constantly horny! She does have a pleasant voice, which is a positive thing for someone who puts out a podcast. That’s the only nice thing that I can say about the show. And whoever thought that the ‘roar’ of “I am Woman, Hear Me Roar” sounds exactly like wwaaaahhhhh wwwaaaahhhhh waaaaahhhh?

I enjoy the storytelling of the histories of these “bad” women and their tragic ends. Thanks for a brilliant podcast!

Unlike the host, I’m not into sexualizing violence against women. I get it that it’s important to humanize the rippers victims and I’m glad theyre spotlighted in this podcast, but I’m not at all comfortable about how horny the host is about the whole thing; honestly, it’s pretty gross. Tbh this whole thing is just British Lisa Simpson jerking herself off over the squalor of the working class. I mean, I’m not sexually aroused by poverty, but I guess it’s a thing for posh boring bookish prudes I’d give ZERO STARS if I could 🤮

I read The Five and thought it was so compelling. Hearing the stories told by the author - plus finding out about all the blowback she experienced - makes for a wonderful podcast. I whipped through the episodes and now I’m like: More! More! Also, please write about the other six women who were murdered. I’d love to know their stories too. Editing to add: I LOVE season two as well! So well done. I recommend this podcast to everyone.

Really like the podcasts but the obnoxious high energy ads pull you out of the story and make you want to give up to listen to something else. Here is a story where a vulnerable woman is about to be murdered but first listen to 5 minutes of a hyperactive announcer talk about Geico or McDonalds or some random phone game. Such a turn off!!!

So glad I found this podcast! It was very well-researched. Each episode was compelling and I loved hearing this new perspective on the Jack the Ripper case.

Well-made and interesting. Also love the intentionality around deeply covering victims.

Just started. Sounds good so far. But I’m not sure why the first episode is all about how everyone else who has read or studied the murders are jerks.

I have always thought of these poor women much more than I wondered who committed these awful murders. Thank you for bringing their lives to us.

This is by far the most reliable, well-researched, and flawlessly delivered account you could get about the Ripper's case. I admire the historian's work ethic and appreciate the effort she put into retelling the story with the victims being at the forefront. Thank you for this excellent podcast!

Thoroughly enjoying this retelling of the Jack the Ripper story. Amazing to have the story of the victims in such detail! Great job.

This show is perfect for history buffs! The production quality was amazing. I felt like I was walking the streets of London in the 1880s.

This beautifully produced and narrated podcast is fascinating. For all the endless speculation about who “Jack” was, at last we hear in-depth research into the lives of the women he killed. Some of the reviews here reveal why the author spends time refuting her critics— apparently an opinionated woman is still difficult for some people to accept. And for all those mystified by Hallie Rubenhold’s fluid accent - the answer is right on her Wikipedia page— born in LA to a British father and American mother- educated in both the US and Britain. Mystery solved.

Excellent reveal of the murdered and exploited women who have been discarded and ignored in the Ripper case. Who cares who Ripper could've been? Due to society's restrictive expectations and prejudices, these women's lives are only illuminated through Hallie. A must for those who are eager to hear another angle of this story and whose threads still run throughout society today.

To anyone watching, this podcast is worth listening to. It does a well done job emphasizing that there were several factors leading up to the women’s deaths. The BIGGEST issue with this podcast is that the historian (Hallie) is a bit egotistical. I really like the new perspective she brings but she often sees her research above other people. She mentions multiple times trying to “persuade other rippologists to switching their gears”. She would mention sometimes how the true crime community is apathetic towards women (which is true) and then try to belittle other podcasters such as Morbid for trying to be a little lighthearted. It was an issue to me because if you ever listened to Morbid, they really improved on trying to humanize the victims and most of their jokes are towards the actual killers. Hallie is a wonderful storyteller but I dislike that she refuse to take any criticism and believe that her word is above anyone else’s. With that in mind, i do recommend this podcast to anyone interested in the subject about how Victorian women were at a disadvantage similar to what women experience today.

I had just read the book The Five by Hallie Rubenold. This podcast brought the book to life. I loved the addition of music and sound and I binged the whole series in 2 days. Highly recommend!

This is a truly unique podcast that takes a very fresh look at what was otherwise a tired topic. Host is a professional in her field and her other work is excellent. I listened to this when it came out but return to it because of its excellent execution on every level. I learned so much about England at this time and realized there is little we learn about how common people lived. Music beds are great. Re-enactments are engaging. Wonderful wonderful podcast. Thanks.

Enough refuting other view points. You say it is disrespectful to treat the women as means to proving a point but that is exactly what you are doing using the podcast to defend your own theory’s not to explain their story’s you act no more honorably than the researchers you pick apart.

Ripper fallout! Super interesting ⚔️

I’ve enjoyed the show as a whole in terms of its production (other than the occasional cheesy dialogue intermixed), but I don’t get why so much of it has to be about other people’s “bad” research on the crimes. I understand the flaws of the other researchers, but I don’t get why it’s done in a way that feels so petty. It feels like the host is just letting out a lot of her personal grievances.

I found this so interesting! I love getting a whole new perspective on something that is talked about so nonchalantly. But why does she change her accent when talking with North Americans?

I couldn’t stop until the end and this was the first time I was devoted to one podcast and loved every word and every minute. Plan to listen again soon. Just in case I missed something.

I initially started listening bc I love well researched true crime, and the fact that the writer is a true historian was very appealing. But I quickly realized that this show is really all about the women and their individual lives and less about the actual crimes committed. The result is absolutely compelling, and I felt like I got a real window into a different era. (Honestly, if I knew this up front I may not have listened and I’d have MISSED OUT). This is a true gem of a show.

I did a research paper on the five canonical victims of JtR in college and was incredibly excited to listen to this podcast. It definitely did not disappoint. I loved learning about the lives and backgrounds of the women, along with the sociological history of Whitechapel during the fall of 1888. This is a great delve into probably the most important part of the ripper story that is so often unfortunately overlooked.

Thank you for this. Let's find the places in history where great stories were mindlessly stereotyped and actually investigate.

I love a good story with immersive sound while learning something new.

Fantastic storytelling and so refreshing to get her-story rather than the typical slanted “history”. Great research and her whole heart is in it!

I never realized how we dehumanize the victims of Jack the Ripper whenever we talk about the murders. Thank you for a new perspective that really opened my eyes!