Tag: Hallie Rubenhold

What’s Ashley Reading?: Story of a Murder

Story of a Murder by Hallie Rubenhold

First line: No murderer should ever be the guardian of their victim’s story, and yet this is the role of Hawley Harvey Crippen has always held.

Summary: Belle Elmore, wife of Hawley Harvey Crippen and vaudeville actress, was found buried in the basement of her home in July 1910. In Story of a Murder Rubenhold examines the women involved with the case and details out the events leading up to the arrest of Crippen for the murder of his wife. For years writers have placed the blame on Belle for her own death but Rubenhold gives back her story while breaking down the subjects of class, misogyny and the role of women in Edwardian society.

My Thoughts: As with The Five, Rubenhold gives back the humanity to her subject. Her latest work dives deep into the Edwardian world and the murder case that captivated the masses on both sides of the Atlantic. I had never heard of the Crippen murder which gave me no preconceptions going into the narrative. The story starts out with Crippen’s life, education, work experience and first marriage. As she builds on these points we see the path leading us to the winter of 1910.

I find Rubenhold’s writing to be superb. I easily get drawn into the story as if I was reading fiction. Belle was not perfect and Rubenhold doesn’t try to portray her that way. She had flaws but nothing she did gave Crippen the right to do to her what he did. After Belle’s disappearance I loved how the research showed her friends doing all they could to find answers. The persisted against the male dominated world to try and find justice for their friend. It shows how much this woman meant to those around her.

The other woman the author examines is Crippen’s mistress, Ethel Le Neve. What did she truly know about the events surrounding the death of Belle Elmore? As the evidence is laid out and the narrative given for years is challenged, it leaves the reader questioning Ethel’s role in Belle’s death. We are taken through Ethel’s life and choices on her way to meeting Crippen. This new insight into the case gives a whole new dimension to the woman who was only considered a bystander at the time.

I highly recommend this to anyone who loves a true crime story and women’s history. After reading it let me know what you think! Are you convinced by Rubenhold’s assessment or do you stand with the courts of Edwardian England?

FYI: This is currently only available on Libby. DNA research has been done on the remains and new eyes on this DNA research has come into the public eye again recently. Read the story here.

What’s Ashley Reading?: The Five

The Five by Hallie Rubenhold

First line: There are two versions of the events of 1887. One is very well known, but the other is not.

Summary: Everyone has heard the story of Jack the Ripper. He haunted the streets of Whitechapel preying on women. His victims known as the canonical five are Polly, Annie, Elisabeth, Catherine and Mary Jane. His story has been researched and turned over hundreds of times but very little is actually known about the women whose lives he took. Here are their stories.

My Thoughts: I have recommended this book to anyone and everyone! I was completely engrossed in it. It is thoroughly researched and well written. It reads like fiction and is easy to get caught up in these women’s lives. I found myself hoping for better outcomes as I read even though I knew how each of their stories was a going to end.

Rubenhold brings these women and the times that they lived to the forefront. Everyone thinks that they know the victims. They were prostitutes right? Wrong. Some were but not all five. Each has a story to tell. I could not believe the detail put into their narratives. Using housing records, census, interviews and newspaper reports we get fuller picture of their lives.

Sometimes we romanticize the Victorian time period but it was anything but ideal. People were barely able to care for their families. Housing was not always safe or healthy. Disease, alcoholism and poverty were prevalent. How people survived is astounding.

If you love history, true crime or biographies than this is perfect for you. It is full of information that will keep you reading until the very end.

FYI: There is very little mentioned about Jack the Ripper. This book focuses on the women only and the time that they lived.