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5.0 AVERAGE
5.0 AVERAGE
First of all, I just want to say that I had never heard of the Dionne quintuplets prior to reading this book. The whole Dionne quintuplets phenomenon was a huge deal in Canada from 1934 (their birth) through the 1940s (during the time of WWII) and the 1950s, to the point where the quintuplets were even presented to Queen Elizabeth (Elizabeth II's mother) in 1939 in Toronto!
Back to the book: I listened to the audio version and had the pleasure of listening to Tavia Gilbert narrate this book. I had been on a quest to find an engaging read to prevent a very imminent reading slump (caused by another book!) and, after having listened to many an audiobook sample, I finally settled on The Quintland Sisters. Tavia Gilbert is an amazing narrator and I shall seek more works narrated by her in the future.
The Quintland Sisters is an epistolary novel -- everything is presented from the diary/journal entries of the protagonist Emma Trimpany, save for a few letters from the point of views of other important characters, as well as some real newspaper articles.
Emma was training to be a midwife when she was assisting Madame Lebel and Dr. Allan Roy Dafoe (and another midwife whose name I can't recall) with the birth of the quintuplets. She was devastated, as one would be, in witnessing such an event (childbirth in general...), especially as a teenager. I won't go over the details about the quintuplets' chances of survival and such; as the summary of the book suggests, their chances of survival were slim and they weren't expected to live past their early stages of infancy. The girls do survive (not a spoiler) and become a rather strange tourist attraction... as well as targets of many advertizing companies who wanted to profit off of the girls' fame. Even the government of Ontario was involved, taking legal guardianship of the girls, preventing the parents, Oliva and Elzire Dionne, from having full custody of the girls. The quintuplets even starred in a few Hollywood movies!
I thought it was very strange that tourists would come from all over Canada and America to "Quintland," the Dafoe Hospital and Nursery in Callander, ON --a middle of nowhere-- just to see the girls. I did not like that part one bit; it felt like the whole thing was a sideshow! But alas, that is what happened so I can't get angry at the book.
Anyway, I thought the writing was very good and engaging. The characters were realistic and relatable -- especially Emma. At times I find her uncertainty mirroring mine in many ways, especially in terms of her career choice and uncertain future prospects. Sadly this uncertainty later forced her to change her course of life due to very, very unfortunate circumstances in the final chapter. Unlike many reviews I read, I do not think the events that befell Emma in the final chapter were "out of nowhere."
I also appreciated Emma's innocent view of the world, her naiveté, her disinterest/indifference in politics -- focusing instead on her own battles at home. She was very relatable. Taking things at face value; not understanding or seeing things that happen right under her nose...
I enjoyed seeing her character grow throughout the chapters, her attachment to the quintuplets growing as the years go by,
It was a sad ending. Emma was living in a bubble -- her work at the nursery and the opportunities it unlocked for her art career was a dream that she was desperately holding on to for as long as she could, until the bubble was burst and her dream was yanked from her. She knew it wasn't going to last forever. She even said it herself once when she made flower necklaces for the girls: "beautiful things aren't meant to last," or something along those lines, referring to the flowers that will be wilting the next day.
There are many things I wanted to say, but my review is already too long. Overall, a very good read (or "listen," rather); I highly recommend listening to the audiobook.
Back to the book: I listened to the audio version and had the pleasure of listening to Tavia Gilbert narrate this book. I had been on a quest to find an engaging read to prevent a very imminent reading slump (caused by another book!) and, after having listened to many an audiobook sample, I finally settled on The Quintland Sisters. Tavia Gilbert is an amazing narrator and I shall seek more works narrated by her in the future.
The Quintland Sisters is an epistolary novel -- everything is presented from the diary/journal entries of the protagonist Emma Trimpany, save for a few letters from the point of views of other important characters, as well as some real newspaper articles.
Emma was training to be a midwife when she was assisting Madame Lebel and Dr. Allan Roy Dafoe (and another midwife whose name I can't recall) with the birth of the quintuplets. She was devastated, as one would be, in witnessing such an event (childbirth in general...), especially as a teenager. I won't go over the details about the quintuplets' chances of survival and such; as the summary of the book suggests, their chances of survival were slim and they weren't expected to live past their early stages of infancy. The girls do survive (not a spoiler) and become a rather strange tourist attraction... as well as targets of many advertizing companies who wanted to profit off of the girls' fame. Even the government of Ontario was involved, taking legal guardianship of the girls, preventing the parents, Oliva and Elzire Dionne, from having full custody of the girls. The quintuplets even starred in a few Hollywood movies!
I thought it was very strange that tourists would come from all over Canada and America to "Quintland," the Dafoe Hospital and Nursery in Callander, ON --a middle of nowhere-- just to see the girls. I did not like that part one bit; it felt like the whole thing was a sideshow! But alas, that is what happened so I can't get angry at the book.
Anyway, I thought the writing was very good and engaging. The characters were realistic and relatable -- especially Emma. At times I find her uncertainty mirroring mine in many ways, especially in terms of her career choice and uncertain future prospects. Sadly this uncertainty later forced her to change her course of life due to very, very unfortunate circumstances in the final chapter. Unlike many reviews I read, I do not think the events that befell Emma in the final chapter were "out of nowhere."
Spoiler
In fact, they were being foreshadowed throughout the second half of the book (when Monsieur Oliva Dionne, the father of the quintuplets, finally "saw" her and she lost her "invisibility" after the first corn syrup trial in which she testified). The times when Monsieur Dionne would quietly walk into the room and frighten her with his presence; the angry, hateful looks he was giving her and the uneasy feelings it gave poor Emma; nurse Nicolette, who left very suddenly only to show up a year later with a baby, claiming it was Monsieur Dionne's, and many other hints... those were all foreshadowing the horrible incident in the end (horrible is an understatement).I also appreciated Emma's innocent view of the world, her naiveté, her disinterest/indifference in politics -- focusing instead on her own battles at home. She was very relatable. Taking things at face value; not understanding or seeing things that happen right under her nose...
I enjoyed seeing her character grow throughout the chapters, her attachment to the quintuplets growing as the years go by,
Spoiler
until that fateful night on the train with Monsieur Dionne...It was a sad ending. Emma was living in a bubble -- her work at the nursery and the opportunities it unlocked for her art career was a dream that she was desperately holding on to for as long as she could, until the bubble was burst and her dream was yanked from her. She knew it wasn't going to last forever. She even said it herself once when she made flower necklaces for the girls: "beautiful things aren't meant to last," or something along those lines, referring to the flowers that will be wilting the next day.
Spoiler
What made everything sadder was the death of Lewis Cartright, her old friend and love interest (later) -- the only man to whom she was never "invisible" from the very beginning. His pleading letters in the final chapter were heartbreaking; her abrupt disappearance (after the incident on the train with Monsieur Dionne) upsetting him greatly. He allegedly died in a hurricane in 1945.There are many things I wanted to say, but my review is already too long. Overall, a very good read (or "listen," rather); I highly recommend listening to the audiobook.