Kensington Books
Formats: eBook, Paperback
Genre: Historical Fiction
Synopsis
A suspenseful, spellbinding novel of love, jealousy, and murder, The Ripper’s Wife re-imagines the most notorious serial killer in history through the eyes of the woman who sealed his fate.
“Love makes sane men mad and can turn a gentle man into a fiend.”
It begins as a fairytale romance–a shipboard meeting in 1880 between vivacious Southern belle Florence Chandler and handsome English cotton broker James Maybrick. Courtship and a lavish wedding soon follow, and the couple settles into an affluent Liverpool suburb.
From the first, their marriage is doomed by lies. Florie, hardly the heiress her scheming mother portrayed, is treated as an outsider by fashionable English society. James’s secrets are infinitely darker–he has a mistress, an arsenic addiction, and a vicious temper. But Florie has no inkling of her husband’s depravity until she discovers his diary–and in it, a litany of bloody deeds…
So What Did I Think About The Story?:
I have recently realized that I apparently have a huge problem: I find these authors that have books that sound so wonderful I go get their books and add them to my toppling TBR pile and I then cannot find the time to actually read them . I know, many of you fellow bookworms probably have the same problem. When I decided to read Brandy Purdy's newest novel as part of her blog tour I realized I have almost all of her previous novels on my shelves, ready to be loved and devoured, but that I had not yet read even one of them. And, per the usual, I am now kicking myself that I took this long to read her books!!
The Ripper's Wife pulled me in from page one. Set up for most of the novel as Florie Maybrick telling her side of the story - from her meeting and falling in love with James Maybrick to the downward spiral of their marriage and her discovery that James was Jack the Ripper all the way to her final sad and lonely days - and interspersed in the middle of the novel with James Maybrick's diary entries detailing his violent and twisted alternate life as one of the world's most infamous killers, the novel never had a dull moment for me. The reader knows from the beginning what the outcome of Florie's life will be and the horrid turn her life will take and this caused a delicious sense of foreboding to hang over the whole story, even the seemingly fairytale beginnings of the Maybrick's early marriage.
It doesn't take long for Florie's life to spin out of control and while Florie makes some very bad mistakes over the years that had me yelling at her to grow up and make the right decisions for her and her children it was heartbreaking to watch the vicious beatings she took at the hands of this supposedly loving husband and the eventual jail time she served for a murder she didn't commit. I am not completely sure how much of this novel is based in fact (and this would be one of my only complaints about The Ripper's Wife...no author notes at the back of the book explaining what is fact and what is fiction) but the life Florie lived within the pages of The Ripper's Wife is absolutely heartbreaking. Ms. Purdy does not hold back from detailing the horrible things Florie went through and the descriptions are quite intense.
James Maybrick's diary entries are likewise vivid and descriptive and I felt like I was watching those poor women be stalked and torn apart by this sick and twist man. For some it might be hard to read these passages but I would ask why someone would think to read a novel about Jack the Ripper and shy away from then reading the bloody details....the actions of this killer were violent and horrible and Brandy Purdy perfectly brings it all to life.
Having now finished the novel and looking back at the story as a whole, I feel Ms. Purdy did a remarkable job at giving life to these characters, each one of which is flawed and sympathetic in their own way (even James, believe it or not!). Her descriptive power is superb and I felt completely immersed in the story as it unfolded. If you are a fan of historical fiction and are able to stomach what by right should be a graphic and depraved story given the subject matter, I would highly recommend The Ripper's Wife.
So What Did I Think About The Cover?:
I love it! The color's are beautiful and fitting and the woman fits the descriptions of Florie perfectly. Seeing her reading the diary and looking back at the reader with her mouth set like she had read something horrible gives you that feeling of confidence between the reader and Florie. I can't think of any changes I would have preferred to see.
My Rating: 4.5/5.0
Thank you to Amy at Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours for providing me with a free copy of The Ripper's Wife in exchange for an honest review! Make sure to continue below for more information about the book, the author and how to enter to win a copy of your very own!
Praise for the Novels of Brandy Purdy
“Purdy wonderfully reimagines the behind-the-scenes lives of the two sisters.” —Historical Novel Reviews on The Tudor Throne
“I love Brandy Purdy’s books, she does thorough research into the lives of the people in the Tudor era and it shows in her writing style. Very descriptive, engaging characters makes The Queen’s Rivals a page turning novel. If you are a fan of the Tudor era like I am, then this book is a must.” -CelticLady’s Reviews on The Queen’s Rivals
“The writing is inviting, intense and flawless, rich with the flavor of English country life as well as court life. The political machinations, the tragedy to befall the Dudley family and the mystery surrounding Amy’s death were weaved to captivating detail and the end result is a mesmerizing work of historical fiction that puts Brandy Purdy on my “must read” list.” -Psychotic State Book Reviews on The Queen’s Pleasures
About the Author
Brandy Purdy is the author of several historical novels. When she’s not writing, she’s either reading or watching classic movies. She currently lives in Beaumont, TX. Visit her website at http://www.brandypurdy.com for more information about her books. You can also follow her via her blog at http://brandypurdy.blogspot.
Buy The Books
Amazon UK
Amazon US
Barnes & Noble
Book Depository
The Ripper's Wife Blog Tour Schedule
Monday, October 27
Review at A Bookish Affair
Tuesday, October 28
Review & Giveaway at Historical Fiction Obsession
Interview & Giveaway at A Bookish Affair
Wednesday, October 29
Review at Kinx’s Book Nook
Review at The Maiden’s Court
Thursday, October 30
Review at Book of Secrets
Friday, October 31
Review at WTF Are You Reading?
Feature at Passages to the Past
Monday, November 3
Review at A Chick Who Reads
Interview & Giveaway at Mina’s Bookshelf
Tuesday, November 4
Review at 100 Pages a Day – Stephanie’s Book reviews
Interview at A Chick Who Reads
Wednesday, November 5
Review at JulzReads
Thursday, November 6
Review at History & Women
Friday, November 7
Review at A Book Geek
Monday, November 10
Review at CelticLady’s Reviews
Tuesday, November 11
Review & Giveaway at Historical Tapestry
Wednesday, November 12
Review & Giveaway at Broken Teepee
Thursday, November 13
Review at A Bibliotaph’s Reviews
Friday, November 14
Review at Girl Lost in a Book
Giveaway Time!!
For a chance to win a paperback copy of The Ripper's Wife (U.S. only!) leave a comment below letting me know if you have read any of Brandy Purdy's novels and, if you have, which is your favorite. Be sure to leave your email address (no email address/no entry!). For extra entries share this review/giveaway online and leave a separate comment with a link to where you shared. That's it! I'll pick a winner on November 18th and the winner will have 48 hours to respond to my email before I have to pick another winner. Good luck everyone!
Thank you for a great review Colleen, I'm so glad you enjoyed my book. I hope you enjoy the others too when you get a chance to read them. I have the exact same problem, books are always piling up, I love them and can't stop buying them, even though I can't find time to read them all.
ReplyDeleteWow, thank you for stopping by the blog, Brandy!! I'm so honored and I am sure I will love the other books as much as I did this one...I love your writing style!
DeleteI have never read any books by Brandy Purdy, so thanks for the opportunity to win The Ripper's Wife. raquel36m(at)gmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteI have not yet read any of the books.
ReplyDeletelag110 at mchsi dot com
I haven't yet read any of her books, but I have one on the TBR. I just read the post that is a "sort-of" author's notes on a more recent blog entry. That has made me really anxious to read this novel. Thanks for the giveaway.
ReplyDeletelcbrower40(at)gmail(dot)com
I have read several of Ms. Purdy's books; 'The Queen's Pleasure' is my favorite but I have enjoyed them all. I can't wait to read 'The Ripper's Wife'!
ReplyDeletesomanybooks.solittletimeblog@gmail.com
I love Brandy Purdy and after reading your review this newest has become a must read for me. Thanks for the giveaway. mosthappyreader (at) gmail (dot) com
ReplyDeleteWhat a unique take on such a fascinating period of time. I still shudder to think of the fear endured by the people during that time.
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone for commenting!!! The winner picked using a random number generator is....Shannon Leigh! Congratulations Shannon and I will send you an email in just a few minutes. You will have 48 hours to respond before I have to pick another winner.
ReplyDeleteEveryone make sure to check out my review and giveaway of The Tiger Queens that posted today and enter to win that book as well. It is an awesome book!
Well, I never heard back from Shannon so I need to pick another winner! Using a random number generator our new winner is....Raquel Muniz!!! Congratulations Raquel, I will be emailing you in just a second and you will have 48 hours to respond to my email before I have to pick another winner!
ReplyDelete