The world simply couldn't get enough of the Dionne quintuplets, who were born in rural Ontario on May 28, 1934. Early visitors included the likes of Clark Gable, Jimmy Stewart, and Amelia Earhart. In fact, three million visitors paid Yvonne, Annette, Cécile, Émilie, and Marie a visit in the first decade of their life: the Dionne quintuplets and their province-built nursery, along with the good doctor, Dr. Dafoe, who was essentially raising them in this fish bowl, brought more than $50 million in tourist dollars into Ontario's coffers. "Quintland" and all things quintuplet became known, surpassed even Niagara Falls as a tourist attraction.
It is this aura of sensationalism that Shelley Wood seeks to capture in The Quintland Sisters. For this fictional account of the quints earliest years, based wholly but not exclusively in fact, Wood creates a nurse's assistant, if you will, in 17-year-old Emma Trimpany, who was present for the birth by way of assisting the midwife and then, as other caregivers come and go, remains at her station for the next five years.
The account of Quintland, the tug-of-war between the Dionnes and Dr. Dafoe, and that intervention by the state is fascinating. Wood's notes at the end describe her research, and it shows. This was a quick read, and an enjoyable one, right up to the end (on both counts). Unfortunately, the absolute end felt to me that it belonged in another book altogether. Without giving away the ending, I can say absolutely that I never I expected it, that I didn't understand it, and that the last 20 or 30 pages seemed entirely extraneous and their inclusion utterly perplexing.
Most of the book would be 4 stars, but when I factor in the ending, I land somewhere between 2 and 3. I enjoyed reading about the Dionnes (I was inspired to do a bit or research of my own after finishing this book), but as a reader, I just can't get behind The Quintland Sisters in its entirety...
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