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Jack the Ripper Victims Series #4
Apologies to the Cat's Meat Man: A Novel of Annie Chapman, the Second Victim of Jack the Ripper
This novel is part of the Jack the Ripper Victims Series. Each novel in the series is a stand-alone story.
Annie Chapman led a hard, lower class life in filthy 19th century London. Late in life, circumstances and and her choices led her to earn her crust by solicitation. After a bruising brawl with another woman over money and a man, she lost her lodgings and found herself sleeping rough. That dangerous turn of events delivered her into the hands of London's most notorious serial killer, Jack the Ripper.
Contrasting her last week alive with the experiences of her earlier life, the author helps readers understand how she might have made the decisions that put her in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Annie Chapman led a hard, lower class life in filthy 19th century London. Late in life, circumstances and and her choices led her to earn her crust by solicitation. After a bruising brawl with another woman over money and a man, she lost her lodgings and found herself sleeping rough. That dangerous turn of events delivered her into the hands of London's most notorious serial killer, Jack the Ripper.
Contrasting her last week alive with the experiences of her earlier life, the author helps readers understand how she might have made the decisions that put her in the wrong place at the wrong time.
158 pages, Paperback
First published April 24, 2017
About the author
Alan M. Clark
139 books323 followersAuthor and illustrator, Alan M. Clark grew up in Tennessee in a house full of bones and old medical books. His awards include the World Fantasy Award and four Chesley Awards. He is the author of twenty-one books, including fourteen novels, a lavishly illustrated novella, a lavishly illustrated novellette, four collections of fiction, and a nonfiction full-color book of his artwork. Mr. Clark's company, IFD Publishing, has released 45 titles of various editions, including traditional books, both paperback and hardcover, audio books, and ebooks by such authors as F. Paul Wilson, Elizabeth Engstrom, and Jeremy Robert Johnson. Alan M. Clark and his wife, Melody, live in Oregon. www.alanmclark.com Visit his blog: https://ifdpublishing.com/blog
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 29, 2017
The fourth book in the Jack the Ripper Victims Series, Apologies to the Cat’s Meat Man showcases Clark again infusing loads of humanity into an historical context. Annie Chapman’s story is told from a past and present narrative, her last week alive in contrast to a regrettable past. The flow between the two was smooth and coherent. There was a more dream-like quality to the life events and perspectives of the protagonist here when compared to the other books.
The reality of the lower class in this era is striking. Conditions like raw sewage running through the streets, desperation and horrible work environments just a few. Clark’s use of symbolism tied much of Annie’s life experiences together in a memorable way. One scene that stayed with me involved the clockwise rotation of a group of homeless as they were forced to walk at night, not allowed to sleep on the streets. Each rotation was related to a year in Annie’s life, the people and memories she connected to shown along the way. The voice of Annie’s late husband John was present in her mind throughout the book as another connective device. I anticipated the messages and insight it gave her in trying situations.
In all, Apologies to the Cat’s Meat Man is a solid addition to a great series. I look forward to the only one I have not read yet, Elizabeth Stride”s story “Say Anything But Your Prayers.”
The reality of the lower class in this era is striking. Conditions like raw sewage running through the streets, desperation and horrible work environments just a few. Clark’s use of symbolism tied much of Annie’s life experiences together in a memorable way. One scene that stayed with me involved the clockwise rotation of a group of homeless as they were forced to walk at night, not allowed to sleep on the streets. Each rotation was related to a year in Annie’s life, the people and memories she connected to shown along the way. The voice of Annie’s late husband John was present in her mind throughout the book as another connective device. I anticipated the messages and insight it gave her in trying situations.
In all, Apologies to the Cat’s Meat Man is a solid addition to a great series. I look forward to the only one I have not read yet, Elizabeth Stride”s story “Say Anything But Your Prayers.”
January 15, 2020
The second victim!
As with the first victim, young Annie was introduced to alcoholism and verbal abuse at a young age. It didn't take long for her life to fall apart. Prostitution seemed the only way to earn money for food and a bed. Unfortunately it was too often spent on liquor. She knew about the first murder but since she needed money, she had to walk the streets alone.
Superbly written, hard to put down story of hardship and poverty.
As with the first victim, young Annie was introduced to alcoholism and verbal abuse at a young age. It didn't take long for her life to fall apart. Prostitution seemed the only way to earn money for food and a bed. Unfortunately it was too often spent on liquor. She knew about the first murder but since she needed money, she had to walk the streets alone.
Superbly written, hard to put down story of hardship and poverty.
April 23, 2017
Although serial killers are not normally my thing, I've been reading these illustrated novels based on the lives of the victims of Jack the Ripper with interest. Rather than focus on the pathologies of Jack the Ripper's mind, and the goriness of his methods, this books put the spotlight on how his victims lived, and how and why they came to be walking the streets, easy prey for anyone who would attack them. "Apologies to the Cat's Meat Man" follows the life of Annie Chapman, the second victim.
Born into a poor working family in London, Annie as imagined here is a tender and squeamish child, sickened by the sight and smell of the manure and raw sewage that surrounds her, and unable to bear her own or others' pain. The life of poverty and privation that she, like thousands of other in Victorian-era London, is condemned to, grinds her down, though, wearing away her natural delicacy and driving her to follow in her father's footsteps, becoming an alcoholic who, like her father before her, alienates her family with her outbursts and erratic behavior. By the time the novel opens--Annie's backstory is told in flashbacks that alternate with her current situation--she's separated from her husband and living in a grim rooming house, paying her rent by performing sexual acts for an unsavory man who, it turns out, is keeping more than one woman in the same building. Completely broke, Annie finds herself homeless and walking the streets at night, desperately searching for a client or just a place to lie down--some of the most vividly rendered moments in the book are when Annie and other groups of homeless people are forced to trudge for hours through the dark, not allowed by the police to sleep on the streets until the sun rises.
Annie's story is inherently dark, and we know before we begin how it ends. Still, this book brings her to life as a gentle, sensitive girl caught up in the destructive meatgrinder of London and the Industrial Revolution. Society was changing, technology was allowing people to live better than ever before, but for many people this "forward progress" meant living jammed together in filth, desperately chasing after piece-work and competing with all the other job-seekers flocking to London, until they were used up and discarded like so much trash. The tragedy of Annie's life was not that she was murdered by a serial killer; it was that her whole world treated her much as Jack the Ripper did: as a worthless object to smash and then throw away. Annie's death here is both a tragic end to a life that had very little value to hardly anyone, including its possessor, and a release, returning Annie to the state of purity and grace she had once known as a child. A simple and yet moving story of the life of a woman who achieved notoriety with her death.
I received an advance copy of this book from the author with no expectation of a review. All opinions are my own.
Born into a poor working family in London, Annie as imagined here is a tender and squeamish child, sickened by the sight and smell of the manure and raw sewage that surrounds her, and unable to bear her own or others' pain. The life of poverty and privation that she, like thousands of other in Victorian-era London, is condemned to, grinds her down, though, wearing away her natural delicacy and driving her to follow in her father's footsteps, becoming an alcoholic who, like her father before her, alienates her family with her outbursts and erratic behavior. By the time the novel opens--Annie's backstory is told in flashbacks that alternate with her current situation--she's separated from her husband and living in a grim rooming house, paying her rent by performing sexual acts for an unsavory man who, it turns out, is keeping more than one woman in the same building. Completely broke, Annie finds herself homeless and walking the streets at night, desperately searching for a client or just a place to lie down--some of the most vividly rendered moments in the book are when Annie and other groups of homeless people are forced to trudge for hours through the dark, not allowed by the police to sleep on the streets until the sun rises.
Annie's story is inherently dark, and we know before we begin how it ends. Still, this book brings her to life as a gentle, sensitive girl caught up in the destructive meatgrinder of London and the Industrial Revolution. Society was changing, technology was allowing people to live better than ever before, but for many people this "forward progress" meant living jammed together in filth, desperately chasing after piece-work and competing with all the other job-seekers flocking to London, until they were used up and discarded like so much trash. The tragedy of Annie's life was not that she was murdered by a serial killer; it was that her whole world treated her much as Jack the Ripper did: as a worthless object to smash and then throw away. Annie's death here is both a tragic end to a life that had very little value to hardly anyone, including its possessor, and a release, returning Annie to the state of purity and grace she had once known as a child. A simple and yet moving story of the life of a woman who achieved notoriety with her death.
I received an advance copy of this book from the author with no expectation of a review. All opinions are my own.
June 5, 2018
Another delightful foray into 1800s London with Alan Clark and Jack the Ripper. Clark is one of my favorite writers, I have read many of his books and this is a third of his Ripper victim series I have completed. Clark does in this book what he did so well in his previous stories about Elizabeth Stride and Polly Nichols, he provides humanity to Annie Chapman, Jack The Ripper’s second victim. After reading three of the books in this series, some overarching themes emerge. The most remarkable is the harsh environment and atmosphere these women survived in as impoverished vagrants of 19th century London.
Annie Chapman is her own woman although she will meet the same obvious fate as others. You already know how this book is going to end which for me always seemed like the challenge for Clark who has to rely on his storytelling skills to keep you interested despite the foregone conclusion. Clark is someone who definitely can meet that challenge. The story starts off with Chapman finding herself put on the streets after being attacked by an adversarial neighbor in the building she was scraping by in. Once out on the street, the story follows Annie as she tries to survive while “sleeping rough” and you begin to learn some of her history and how she ended up in this desolate state. The story is dramatic and unforgiving like many of Clark’s stories are, but he does such a compelling job of exploring the humility and desperation of survival you can’t help but sympathize with Annie.
I definitely recommend this book if you have been reading this series. Although, I think Say Anything But Your Prayers is still my favorite of the series, Cats Meat Man is a great read. I still have not gotten to Of Thimble and Thread which I believe is the only book in the series out that I haven’t completed. I will rectify that eventually. I also hope Clark writes some more new non Ripper related books soon.
Annie Chapman is her own woman although she will meet the same obvious fate as others. You already know how this book is going to end which for me always seemed like the challenge for Clark who has to rely on his storytelling skills to keep you interested despite the foregone conclusion. Clark is someone who definitely can meet that challenge. The story starts off with Chapman finding herself put on the streets after being attacked by an adversarial neighbor in the building she was scraping by in. Once out on the street, the story follows Annie as she tries to survive while “sleeping rough” and you begin to learn some of her history and how she ended up in this desolate state. The story is dramatic and unforgiving like many of Clark’s stories are, but he does such a compelling job of exploring the humility and desperation of survival you can’t help but sympathize with Annie.
I definitely recommend this book if you have been reading this series. Although, I think Say Anything But Your Prayers is still my favorite of the series, Cats Meat Man is a great read. I still have not gotten to Of Thimble and Thread which I believe is the only book in the series out that I haven’t completed. I will rectify that eventually. I also hope Clark writes some more new non Ripper related books soon.
December 16, 2018
Apologies to the Cat's Meat Man: A Novel of Annie Chapman, the Second Victim of Jack the Ripper by Alan M. Clark takes the reader back in time to the crowded and dingy streets of Whitechapel. It is 1888 and for a few weeks a brutal killer is terrorizing the capital.
We follow the story of Annie Chapman made vivid by her background, her fears, her needs and her struggles to survive in a world where women do not have real freedom or rights.
The author's wise hand guides us in this world, using real data on Chapman (the canonical second victim of Jack the Ripper) mixed with more narrative and fictional facts, giving depth to the character and providing the contemporary reader with a crutch to better understand the Victorian era and its contradictions.
Personally I perceived this story more like a slide on the poverty of the age and its fundamental problems. Alcoholism, poor job opportunities and social change led some women to live street life and fight for a few pennies in the hope of paying for a bed every night.
Some women just wanted to live freely and be happy as a child.
We follow the story of Annie Chapman made vivid by her background, her fears, her needs and her struggles to survive in a world where women do not have real freedom or rights.
The author's wise hand guides us in this world, using real data on Chapman (the canonical second victim of Jack the Ripper) mixed with more narrative and fictional facts, giving depth to the character and providing the contemporary reader with a crutch to better understand the Victorian era and its contradictions.
Personally I perceived this story more like a slide on the poverty of the age and its fundamental problems. Alcoholism, poor job opportunities and social change led some women to live street life and fight for a few pennies in the hope of paying for a bed every night.
Some women just wanted to live freely and be happy as a child.
January 11, 2020
The author didn’t paint victim 2, Annie, in a very good light. I didn’t find her likeable at all and found some things either very distressing or just eye-rolling. She was quite selfish, a lot more than Polly (she was sweet really) but Annie was a hardened, unlikeable character. I hope she was nicer in really life.
Loved the writing style, as with the first book I read (I’m reading them in victim order as it makes more sense) and found the old English written very on point and intriguing. The secondary characters were all great... this author really for the people from the 1800’s (in England) the right way. From the way they talk to the way they dress.
This story is very similar to Polly’s; the demon/scary character from polly’s story was the Bonehill Ghost, Mr. macklin and this one is the cat’s meat man. Though less repetitive than the other books. It was a little confusing but you get the hang of it.
Fab writing and a great story though I didn’t feel I could sympathise with Annie.
Loved the writing style, as with the first book I read (I’m reading them in victim order as it makes more sense) and found the old English written very on point and intriguing. The secondary characters were all great... this author really for the people from the 1800’s (in England) the right way. From the way they talk to the way they dress.
This story is very similar to Polly’s; the demon/scary character from polly’s story was the Bonehill Ghost, Mr. macklin and this one is the cat’s meat man. Though less repetitive than the other books. It was a little confusing but you get the hang of it.
Fab writing and a great story though I didn’t feel I could sympathise with Annie.
October 10, 2020
I used to think of Alan M. Clark as a painter that could write. After reading this harrowing account of the second Jack the Ripper victim, I now think of Alan M. Clark as a writer who can paint. This was even better than the first victim's book, A Brutal Chill In August (although each book are stories that stand alone, but could be read as a series). The pain, constant heartbreak, and details of living day to day in London in the 1880's was almost more than I could take. This social horror novel does a wonderful job of transporting the reader back to that time period, allowing you to experience all the sights, sounds, smells, and unrelenting way of life. The dialogue and details were so rich and rewarding to read. I very much look forward to reading the 3rd victim novel in this series, Say Anything But Your Prayers. Huge recommendation.
January 22, 2020
full review coming soon
July 3, 2017
Alan Clark has taken on the voices of the dead in his books about Jack the Ripper's victims. In this, his story of Annie Chapman, the author manages to infuse her life with a tension that permeates both her joys and her sorrows. It's a very human story, one that reveals Annie as a woman who fate has smiled upon but more often frowned at. She is a victim of the Ripper, a victim of society, and a victim of the thoughtless acts of those around her who are hardly aware of her and yet are all too willing to treat her with disdain. But what's most astounding about this book is how the writer shows us Annie's part is so much of the misery she suffers, a victim of her addictions. It's a caring touch Clark uses to paint a sensitive portrait of a human life that came and went and whose story disappeared in sensationalism until it is revealed in this well-crafted novel. The Victorian age is alive with its classism and bone-chilling poverty and extremely well integrated into the story. The only other authors of dark fiction that I know of who manage such a perfect historical blending are Chelsea Quinn Yarbro in her Saint Germain Chronicles, and Patrick Suskind in Perfume, and now Clark joins that select group. A wonderful yet painful read set in a time frame which, sadly, doesn't feel dated at all.
December 4, 2017
Please note these are works of historical fiction based upon the lives of the women who he became victims of Jack the Ripper and are not about the actual killings.
Apologiesto the Cats Meat Man is the second book in the Jack the Ripper victim series. This time we join the second victim of Jack the Ripper Annie Chapman in the final week of her life. Unlike the first book, the story navigates between her past and her present. However, this does not make it any less interesting. Annie comes across as a sensitive soul that has to face the realities of a harsh world. Even though we know we what's going to happen to her the author has produced a fascinating back story about her life, which is very believable. I highly recommend this book can't wait to start the 3rd book in the series.
Apologiesto the Cats Meat Man is the second book in the Jack the Ripper victim series. This time we join the second victim of Jack the Ripper Annie Chapman in the final week of her life. Unlike the first book, the story navigates between her past and her present. However, this does not make it any less interesting. Annie comes across as a sensitive soul that has to face the realities of a harsh world. Even though we know we what's going to happen to her the author has produced a fascinating back story about her life, which is very believable. I highly recommend this book can't wait to start the 3rd book in the series.
May 18, 2018
Amazing!
Apologies to the Cat's Meat Man tells the story of Annie Chapman, the second victim of Jack the Ripper.
As with the previous books in the series, Alan M. Clark sets aside the motives, methods, and identity of the notorious killer, in favour of focusing on the trials and tribulations of the lives of his of his victims.
Clark has written an account of London's lower class, that is full of heart-breaking empathy and compassion. And his understanding of the difficulties of the time, and why broken people behave self-destructively, are amazing.
Apologies to the Cat's Meat Man is a bleak reminder that not all of life's horrors are the monsters that hide in the shadows; sometimes the true horrors are found where society starts to view its vulnerable members as less than human.
Apologies to the Cat's Meat Man tells the story of Annie Chapman, the second victim of Jack the Ripper.
As with the previous books in the series, Alan M. Clark sets aside the motives, methods, and identity of the notorious killer, in favour of focusing on the trials and tribulations of the lives of his of his victims.
Clark has written an account of London's lower class, that is full of heart-breaking empathy and compassion. And his understanding of the difficulties of the time, and why broken people behave self-destructively, are amazing.
Apologies to the Cat's Meat Man is a bleak reminder that not all of life's horrors are the monsters that hide in the shadows; sometimes the true horrors are found where society starts to view its vulnerable members as less than human.
July 31, 2017
There are a few things that have always made me stop and take notice: Sherlock Holmes, vampires, New Orleans, and Jack the Ripper. When in London, in 1999, for just a day, the must do things were the bookstores on Charing Cross Road, dinner at The Hard Rock Café and the Jack the Ripper Tour. One might even say that I am obsessive about these favorite things.
The narrator of APOLOGIES TO THE CATS MEAT MAN, Alicia Rose, is excellent. Her British accent sets the mood while the words remain clear and unambiguous.
As a general rule, I enjoy audio books once I have read the paper or ebook; I find that knowing the story helps me follow the narration better. This is an experiment in listening without having first read the book, and I would say that as experiments go, this was a rousing success.
I have long admired Alan M. Clark as an artist, and now I can say that his writing matches or exceeds his art. He makes it perfectly clear at the outset that APOLOGIES TO THE CATS MEAT MAN is not another tale of Saucy Jack. It is a totally believable fictional biography of Jack's second victim, Annie Chapman. Her story will never be fully known, after all, she was a poor woman and no one would have thought her worthy of a biography. The tale Clark weaves is totally believable to anyone who has even a passing acquaintance with Victorian era England. We know for a fact that she was poor, married to John Chapman, had children, drank too much, and was murdered. None of this is in dispute; however, no one is just what is available in the public record.
This is Dark Annie's narrative where Jack the Ripper is a mere cameo at the end.
APOLOGIES TO THE CATS MEAT MAN is the fourth book in the Jack the Ripper Victims series. It is not a series that needs to be read in order, so I am now looking forward to reading or listening to the other books in this series.
The narrator of APOLOGIES TO THE CATS MEAT MAN, Alicia Rose, is excellent. Her British accent sets the mood while the words remain clear and unambiguous.
As a general rule, I enjoy audio books once I have read the paper or ebook; I find that knowing the story helps me follow the narration better. This is an experiment in listening without having first read the book, and I would say that as experiments go, this was a rousing success.
I have long admired Alan M. Clark as an artist, and now I can say that his writing matches or exceeds his art. He makes it perfectly clear at the outset that APOLOGIES TO THE CATS MEAT MAN is not another tale of Saucy Jack. It is a totally believable fictional biography of Jack's second victim, Annie Chapman. Her story will never be fully known, after all, she was a poor woman and no one would have thought her worthy of a biography. The tale Clark weaves is totally believable to anyone who has even a passing acquaintance with Victorian era England. We know for a fact that she was poor, married to John Chapman, had children, drank too much, and was murdered. None of this is in dispute; however, no one is just what is available in the public record.
This is Dark Annie's narrative where Jack the Ripper is a mere cameo at the end.
APOLOGIES TO THE CATS MEAT MAN is the fourth book in the Jack the Ripper Victims series. It is not a series that needs to be read in order, so I am now looking forward to reading or listening to the other books in this series.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews