The Miracle & Tragedy of the Dionne Quintuplets
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- Create Date：2021-04-08 04:31:09
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Sarah Miller
- ISBN：B07L2FKK58
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Reviews
Simon
，
I belong to the last generation for whom the "Dionne Quintuplets" could be mentioned with the expectation that most people knew who they were。 And even I knew only the bare outlines of their earliest years， and nothing at all about the family background or their eventual fates。 The story works now as an exploration of the price of fame， and what celebrity media attention can cause。 These five French Canadian babies were separated at birth from their parents， Oliva and Elzire Dionne， and eventual I belong to the last generation for whom the "Dionne Quintuplets" could be mentioned with the expectation that most people knew who they were。 And even I knew only the bare outlines of their earliest years， and nothing at all about the family background or their eventual fates。 The story works now as an exploration of the price of fame， and what celebrity media attention can cause。 These five French Canadian babies were separated at birth from their parents， Oliva and Elzire Dionne， and eventually remanded to the custody of the Canadian government。 They spent the next nine years as lab experiments in child-rearing at a facility constructed across the road from their parents' farmhouse， and six other siblings。 The quintuplets were raised according to a strict schedule by a series of trained nurses。 The nurses were instructed not to kiss them or cuddle with the babies。 However， the Dionnes always knew that the women loved them。 The problem was that the nurses inevitably rotated away from the "house" in which their charges were housed。 The children were then forced to undergo several parental figure losses。 The result seems to have been that they turned exclusively to each other for emotional support。 By the time they were returned to the custody of their parents， the quintuplets were nine。 Despite supervised visits from Oliva and Elzire during the first nine years， the relationships with the actual mother and father were not close。 Nor could they bond with the "normal" siblings。They had physical comfort。 The original farmhouse in which the quints were born had been replaced by a mansion paid for by the visitors who flocked to the remote， rural area in which the Dionnes lived。 These tourists were not charged for the opportunity to see the five children through what the "house" authorities fondly imagined were one-way windows fronting on a small lawn during carefully staged play opportunities。 But they spent like crazy on Dionne tschotchkes， souvenirs and meals at the stands that sprang up to service their needs。 Oliva himself ran one， and would laboriously sign photographs of his children at the front of his souvenir store。 Needless to say， most of the money was never seen by the girls even after they became adults。 The Canadian government settled with the surviving Dionne quintuplets in the 90s， but by the time Miller wrote her book the bulk of that money had disappeared。 One quint died young after two failed attempts to live as a cloistered nun followed by an unhappy marriage。 Unhappy marriages seemed to be a Dionne fate。 By 2016 only Cecile and Annette were still alive。 Long before then the Dionne quintuplets' relationship with their parents and siblings had deteriorated， especially after accusations by survivors that their father had molested them as teenagers。The popularity of the Dionne Quintuplets in childhood was cemented by the fact that （1） they lived。 No other quintuplets had survived infancy。 （2） They were identical， although as with most identical multiples， those who know them can tell them apart through minute differences。 Moreover， they were pretty children。 Audiences who observed the little girls at play melted at the sight of them。 Matters were helped by some of the antics they displayed， antics the girls cheerfully admitted were chosen because of course they knew they were being observed。 Sarah Miller's book is strongest during the years the Quintuplets were the darlings of Canada and the United States， i。e。 pre-outbreak of World War II in 1939， when the girls were six。 Miller gives a good breakdown of how the phenomenon developed and the major players。 She does the best she can to endow the little girls with separate personalities， but as she wryly points out， even their caregivers missed that mark。 While she is undoubtedly sympathetic to Oliva and Elzire's frantic attempts to get their daughters back， she also does not hesitate to show how their behaviors could occasionally be counter-productive。 Miller accepts that Oliva molested his daughters， but is wise enough not to speculate what may have caused it。 The other siblings， who never are more than background filler， denied their father was capable of this， but it seems to me that they missed the point。 For their entire infancy and a good slice of their childhood， his five daughters were beyond both his control and authority。 His other daughters were not。 I'll just leave that there。The book is too short， which is not a criticism I usually make。 But I wanted to know a lot more about their lives once they left home to strike out on their own， or on as much of their own as they could have。 The sisters remained intensely close to each other throughout their lives， and though Miller doesn't underline it， you do get the impression that this relationship may have left little for others。 In any event， I wanted to know more about this stage。Other than that， a very good read。 Highly recommend。 。。。more
Christine
，
This narrative nonfiction told the horrifying and fascinating story of the Dionne quintuplets， five identical， French-Canadian girls born in 1934。 Throughout their lives， the girls were exploited by the Canadian government and their own family。 Thousands of spectators came to view the girls every day in a baby zoo。 While all five of the Dionne quintuplets survived to adulthood， Émilie Dionne died at age twenty of an epileptic seizure。 I was saddened that the Dionnes' did not tell the doctor abou This narrative nonfiction told the horrifying and fascinating story of the Dionne quintuplets， five identical， French-Canadian girls born in 1934。 Throughout their lives， the girls were exploited by the Canadian government and their own family。 Thousands of spectators came to view the girls every day in a baby zoo。 While all five of the Dionne quintuplets survived to adulthood， Émilie Dionne died at age twenty of an epileptic seizure。 I was saddened that the Dionnes' did not tell the doctor about Émilie's seizures， even as they increased in frequency and severity， because of the stigmatization of epilepsy。 Émilie's untimely death was just one example of the tragedy that befell the Dionne quintuplets， as explored in this captivating biography。 I listened to the audiobook version of the book， but recommend reading the book instead。 The author/narrator used the girls' names a lot in the book （Yvonne， Annette， Cécile， Émilie， and Marie） instead of grouping them together。 I understand that this was done to individualize the girls， but it was tedious to listen to。 I feel like the author could have done this less and still shown that the girls are individuals。 I also missed out on seeing the photographs included in the book， though I found many photographs online of the Dionne quintuplets。 。。。more
Donna Smith
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Who isn’t fascinated with multiples？！ Today we follow them on Instagram or blogs or YouTube， but back in the 1930’s， the world visited the Dionne quints in their own “Disney” like theme park。 But what happens when the family is too poor to give care to their 5 premature daughters？ This is the story of how the Red Cross， the Canadian government， the local doctor， the press， and nuns and nurses all contributed to the care of these special quint sisters。 Sadly， not all had their best interests in m Who isn’t fascinated with multiples？！ Today we follow them on Instagram or blogs or YouTube， but back in the 1930’s， the world visited the Dionne quints in their own “Disney” like theme park。 But what happens when the family is too poor to give care to their 5 premature daughters？ This is the story of how the Red Cross， the Canadian government， the local doctor， the press， and nuns and nurses all contributed to the care of these special quint sisters。 Sadly， not all had their best interests in mind。 Sadly， even their parents were conflicted in making decisions about their wellbeing。 A fascinating story。 。。。more
Hallie Smith
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Solid basics about the quintuplets and their tumultuous， tragic lives， but doesn’t quite go as deep as I would have liked。
Meredith
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This book documents the lives of the Dionne Quintuplets， focusing on their birth and early childhood， touching upon their teenage and adult lives， and ending with a short epilogue about the status of two surviving quintuplets。The Dionne Quintuplets -- Yvonne， Annette， Cécile， Émilie， and Marie -- are the first recorded set of quintuplets to survive infancy。 The identical sisters were born prematurely on May 28， 1934 to poor French Canadian parents in rural Ontario。 The babies were not expected t This book documents the lives of the Dionne Quintuplets， focusing on their birth and early childhood， touching upon their teenage and adult lives， and ending with a short epilogue about the status of two surviving quintuplets。The Dionne Quintuplets -- Yvonne， Annette， Cécile， Émilie， and Marie -- are the first recorded set of quintuplets to survive infancy。 The identical sisters were born prematurely on May 28， 1934 to poor French Canadian parents in rural Ontario。 The babies were not expected to survive their first night， and when they did， the local doctor enlisted the assistance of the Red Cross and solicited donations of medical supplies from various healthcare organizations and newspapers， which included a non-electric incubator。Thanks to around-the-clock care， the girls miraculously survived。 National and international curiosity about the quintuplets quickly caused a media frenzy and escalated to what would become a perpetual circus sideshow。 Years later， when reflecting upon the lives of Dionne quintuplets， one of the nurses who provided 24 hour care to them as newborns would darkly remark， "I often wonder if it would not， after all， have been fairer to the babies to have left them alone when they did not want to breathe。"In order to break the contract to exhibit them at the Chicago Fair that their father Oliva， Sr。， had unwisely signed immediately following their birth， custody of the quintuplets was temporary signed over to the Red Cross who also agreed to pay all the girls’ medical expenses。 The provincial government of Ontario then stepped in and assumed custody of the girls until they reached age 18 to ostensibly to prevent their being exploited for monetary gain。 But， tragically， this did not stop their exploitation by their board of guardians， various medical researchers， the Ontario government， local entrepreneurs， and their own parents。 "The government had taken custody of the quintuplets to save them from being exploited -- to keep crowds from gawking at them and to prevent promoters from using them to line their pockets with cash。 Now thousands of people stared at the children two times a day 。。。"Oliva， Sr。， and Elzire Dionne had the purest motives for wanting to exhibit their daughters。 They needed to pay the babies' substantial medical bills and to support themselves， their five surviving older children， and eventually their three younger children。 Financial necessity continues to motivate the parents of multiple births to exploit their children， which now often takes the form of reality television。 Dr。 Dafoe gained a national reputation thanks to his role as the quintuplets’ physician and guardian， and because his new reputation depended upon keeping the quints alive despite poor sanitation and lack of resources， he had a vested interest in their continued survival and the state of their health。 He was also able to earn a greater income through product endorsements on behalf of the quintuplets than he ever had as a doctor serving an impoverished rural community。 Because the quintuplets’ survival was partly due to donations provided by newspapers and generated by continuing human interest stories， their caretakers felt an obligation to allow the press access to the girls。 Then after several attempted break-ins， presumably by curiosity seekers rather than would-be kidnappers although the Lindbergh baby kidnapping was fresh on everyone’s minds， allowing public viewings was seen a compromise that would protect the quintuplets’ health and safety。Thanks to the tourist industry that sprang up around the quintuplets， millions of dollars flowed into province of Ontario each year， and given this was in midst of the Great Depression， the government， despite being the quintuplets’ legal guardian， was not in a position to turn down the much needed revenue。 The quintuplets initially benefited from the publicity and tourism in the form of life-sustaining supplies and medical care。 These supplies included incubators and oxygen tanks， which were extremely expensive and not part of standard infant care， and copious amounts of donated breast milk in an era prior to the development of adequate infant formula。 The medical care included access to clean water， pasteurized milk， vaccines， and protection from their own parents who refused to believe in the necessity of sterile technique or in the existence of germs because germs are invisible to the naked eye and who did not understand why their older children with active cases of measles or whooping cough couldn’t be allowed in the same room as premature infants。The quintuplets were reared using the most current research in the science of child development。 This incorporated the now standard “timeouts” for bad behavior and corrections in a firm but neutral tone of voice， which were virtually unheard of at the time。 After being returned to their parents’ custody， the quintuplets found their parents’ “old school” parenting — with its expectation of blind obedience and use of corporal punishment — incredibly traumatic and never successfully adjusted。Although admission was never charged to see the quintuplets， donations were collected， and a trust fund for the girls was established with the intent to provide a modest level of support that would last them their entire lives。 It grew to several million dollars in today's currency， but unfortunately the trust was mismanaged and drained by their guardians， so that what little remained by the time they reached old age was inadequate to provide for their basic needs。 Their trust paid for all of the their care， including the nurses' salaries， the traveling expenses of visiting experts， and their own birthday presents。 Their father then plundered the trust once he was granted access to it after he regained custody of the quintuplets， paying for the construction of "The Big House” — a 19 room home for the family， the boarding school education of the quints' siblings， and all of the Dionne family's living expenses during Oliva， Sr。，'s and Elzire's lifetimes， which included the regular purchase of new automobiles for Oliva， Sr。， and his sons。 The remaining funds were then mismanaged by the quintuplet's husbands as well as the quintuplet themselves， leaving them with insufficient funds to support themselves in their old age。 A private clinic， named the Dafoe Hospital for the Dionne Quintuplets， was built across the street for their parents' farmhouse。 Here the sister received top quality care， which undoubtedly saved their lives as infants。 The level of care needed separated them from their family as still occurs with babies admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit （NICU）， which led to a permanent estrangement。 The girls bonded with their caregivers rather than parents， and neither they nor their parents ever developed a normal parent-child attachment even after they were reunited。 The quintuplets did form an extremely close bond with one another， which would like their entire lives。In response to public interest， which generated sizeable donations， the Dionne quintuplets were put on public display multiple times a day first via a viewing window into their hospital nursery， then on the veranda of their hospital home， and finally in a specially built play yard adjoining the hospital。 They also made special public appearances in staged press photographs， on the radio， and on film。 Their private hospital and the souvenir stands and tourist venues that sprung up around it became known as "Quintland，" "Dionneville，" and "Quintuplet Village。" Their own father even quit farming and instead began selling autographs， postcards， and souvenirs to tourists。 Having grown up in the public eye， the girls found performing for an adoring audience a normal and even agreeable part of everyday life， but as adults， the quintuplets resented having been treated like "property" and "objects of curiosity" and used to make money。 Even at the time， there was controversy as to whether the girls were being treated like animals on display at the zoo rather than with basic human decency。 As the girls aged， interest in them began to wane， and after a series of threats and lawsuits， their parents finally regained custody of them at age 9。 Rather than a joyous occasion， the quintuplets were distraught。 They found the reunion with their family highly traumatic。 The girls experienced severe culture shock and had difficulty coping with all the sudden changes。 Prior to the new custody arrangement， no one had considered asking the quintuplets about their wishes， and there were no court appointed child advocates to speak on their behalf。 The girls considered the Dafoe Hospital nursery to be their home and their nursing staff to be their family。 To them， their parents and siblings were virtual strangers， and they had no desire to live with them。 The quints were never successfully reintegrated into the Dionne household and remained a family apart。 Their parents immediately attempted to erase all evidence of their upbringing by others， constantly criticizing and belittling the girls。 They tried to break the girls' unique bond， insisting the girls sleep in separate bedrooms for the first time and keeping them apart as much as possible。 Their father was particularly controlling and kept the quintuplets under close supervision， dictating their every move。 Oliva， Sr。， and Elzire took their years of grief and frustration out on the quintuplets。 Oliva， Sr。， felt particularly humiliated by his treatment in press as a virile buffoon and directed his anger at his young daughters。 Used to differential treatment， the girls who had never had to do housework were suddenly expected to perform a difficult series of daily chores。 They were subjected to harsh reprimands and physical discipline。 Elzire would chastise the girls， "If I'd raised you， you'd be normal like the others。" Both parents were extremely strict and impossible to please， and the girls struggled with the constant task of placating and appeasing them。Worst of all， once the quintuplets reached puberty， their father began to sexually abuse them。 When they confided in their local priest， he told them that he could not intervene and would not even speak to their father on their behalf， instructing them to "honor thy father and thy mother" and wear layers of clothing as a deterrent。 Left to their own devices， the girls banded together and attempted never to leave the two weaker and more sensitive quintuplets alone with their father。 It was not until they graduated high school that the quintuplets were allowed any freedom， but growing up in near total isolation and lacking any practical life skills， they fared badly。 Marie was the first quint to escape her family by entering a convent as a postulate although she would later leave the order without taking vows。 This act of defiance gave her sisters courage， and they， too， began to pursue lives outside their father's approval and control。 Émilie joined a religious nursing order where she would tragically die in 1954 during a seizure。 Marie， Annette， and Cécile would eventually marry and start families of their own although their marriages would all end in divorce。 The quintuplets suffered from mental health issues as a result of their traumatic childhood。 In 1970， Marie died alone in her apartment of what was ruled a blood clot but looked suspiciously like suicide。 Yvonne， Annette， and Cécile fell into poverty as older adults， their trust fund having been nearly exhausted。 The three moved in together in order to pool their small pensions。 Eventually， they were awarded a settlement from the government of Ontario as compensation for its profiting from their childhood exploitation， but the money was yet again mismanaged and didn't last。 Yvonne died of cancer in 2001。 Annette and Cécile were still alive at the time of this book's publication。"We were the children everyone looked at and nobody saw。"So， what is to be learned from this sad tale？ There has to be a lesson here; otherwise， the quintuplets’ lives are being used yet again as a source of entertainment。The obvious morals are that child exploitation is always detrimental， that the road to hell is paved with good intentions， and that personal self-interest corrupts。 Their story also warns against treating children as possessions -- of which everyone involved was guilty， even the quintuplets' parents -- rather than autonomous beings with their own wants， needs， thoughts， and feelings。 The story of the Dionne quintuplets is a cautionary tale， and it should make everyone think twice about reality television programming featuring the children of multiple births as a form of entertainment。 Child celebrities rarely if ever fare well。 Most end up in poverty， and many suffer from mental health problems and substance addiction。In hindsight， it seems that the best course of action would have been to enlist the Red Cross to ambulance transfer the quintuplets to the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto -- the closest children's hospital at time -- once it become evident that they had a chance of surviving。 The initial media coverage could have then been used to request donations to fund the substantial cost of their medical care。 Then once each individual quint was sufficiently stable for a normal home environment， she could have been discharged from the hospital and been returned to her parents' care regardless of whether they were the best equipped to care for the quintuplets。 In the meantime， the family could have solicited the assistance of a pro bono lawyer， or started a legal fund and hired an attorney， to void the contract their father signed with the Chicago Fair promoter。 If this had been done， then perhaps the quintuplets could have lived relatively normal lives。 Perhaps， if the quintuplets had been returned to their parents' care as infants or toddlers， and their father had been able to form a normal parent-child bond with them， then he wouldn’t have sexually abused them。 Their other siblings denied being the victim of any sexual abuse by their father， so it seems his predation was limited to the quintuplets。 I was so incredibly angry when the girls sought help from their priest， and he refused to help them。 I had to keep reminding myself that in the 1950s there were no mandatory reporting laws or child protection services agencies。 。。。more
Carol Chapman
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Really 4。5: I had heard of the Dionne Quintuplets， but they were in their 20s by the time I was born。 I'm not sure what inspired me to read this book， but I found it appalling to learn how they were raised -- a sad and horrible mistake by our society。 Really 4。5: I had heard of the Dionne Quintuplets， but they were in their 20s by the time I was born。 I'm not sure what inspired me to read this book， but I found it appalling to learn how they were raised -- a sad and horrible mistake by our society。 。。。more
Velia
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I love the Dionne quintuplets。。。。big fan here。 I’ve read a few books about them and one was a memoir。 But this book was hard to figure out。 It was sort of written like historical fiction （i。 e。， conversations） but also like non-fiction。 Weird。
Leanne
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The Miracle & Tragedy of the Dionne QuintupletsBy: Sarah Miller“If only being a quint was a secret one carried inside oneself”4/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️This is the story of the Dionne Quintuplets and how they became separated from their family and turned into a tourist attraction。 It is both fascinating and tragic， and I am glad their story is being told。Sarah Miller handles the story respectfully and manages to show both sides of the story。 I felt I understood the （initial） motivations of the care team The Miracle & Tragedy of the Dionne QuintupletsBy: Sarah Miller“If only being a quint was a secret one carried inside oneself”4/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️This is the story of the Dionne Quintuplets and how they became separated from their family and turned into a tourist attraction。 It is both fascinating and tragic， and I am glad their story is being told。Sarah Miller handles the story respectfully and manages to show both sides of the story。 I felt I understood the （initial） motivations of the care team in removing the Quints as it appeared crucial to their survival。 There is no doubt the erection of the hospital saved their lives。 However， once the Quints have been moved is where the book takes you on a rollercoaster of emotions as you start to sympathise and then despise certain characters and their actions。 It is a story I was not familiar was and was shocked and appalled to learn what happened to those children。 This book is obviously very well researched and presents the facts as they stand。 Miller also succeeds in giving the Quints their individual voices and makes an effort not to fall into the trap of seeing them as a single unit。 Her style of writing was appealing and it was quickly immersive。 my bookstagram 。。。more
E。 Sobien
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Very absorbing read。 This is indeed a tragic story about the five girls who captivated the world from the day they were born， beat the odds by surviving their premature delivery with no NICU， and ended up being turned into a zoo exhibit and tourist trap that was more popular than Niagara Falls。 Their being separated from their parents caused lifelong trauma throughout the whole family。 The story follows the abuse they suffered after being returned to their parents， the stress of living in a fish Very absorbing read。 This is indeed a tragic story about the five girls who captivated the world from the day they were born， beat the odds by surviving their premature delivery with no NICU， and ended up being turned into a zoo exhibit and tourist trap that was more popular than Niagara Falls。 Their being separated from their parents caused lifelong trauma throughout the whole family。 The story follows the abuse they suffered after being returned to their parents， the stress of living in a fishbowl， and how they entered adulthood not knowing the life skills they needed because no one had ever bothered to even teach them how to shop for clothes。 They were also financially abused due to government corruption at its finest。 。。。more
Kristen Thorp
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Randomly picked this one up on my quest to read the unread books in the house。 It was perfect serendipity to have the Louise Penny audiobook I was listening to be about fictional tale about these real life quints。
Jo
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3。5 stars。 Just as the title says this biography about the quints has miracle- 5 babies born to a 24 year old mother who had had 6 children already， in a farmhouse with no electricity or inside bathroom is a miracle they all survived。 The tragedy is how the Canadian government took over their care and raised them basically in an institution。 A very interesting read。
Carol Stubbs
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This story of the Dionne Quintuplets is set in the early 20th century， and things happen that we can't imagine happening today。 Miller does a good job of explaining how and why events unfold as they do。 It's a gripping story writing in narrative non-fiction。 Miller uses newspaper headlines for chapter headings。 The story is amazing and tragic because it's true。 This story of the Dionne Quintuplets is set in the early 20th century， and things happen that we can't imagine happening today。 Miller does a good job of explaining how and why events unfold as they do。 It's a gripping story writing in narrative non-fiction。 Miller uses newspaper headlines for chapter headings。 The story is amazing and tragic because it's true。 。。。more
Maureen Grigsby
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This is a riveting account of the Dionne family after the arrival of the five tiny baby girls in 1934。 Their health was so precarious， that nurses were immediately brought in to help keep them alive。 The Canadian government basically kidnapped them for the next 9 years， displaying them to the public， but not welcoming the parents to help in raising them。 The story of what happened after that， and their journey to adulthood is both exhilarating and desperately sad。
Jobie
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3。5。 Fascinating
Mary Kaczmarek
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I had no idea about this story。 Great read！
Leigh
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Although they are somewhat forgotten in history， the legacy of the Dionne Quintuplets remains。 I always approach any book， documentary or movie with caution with this story due to the fact that my family has a distant connection。 A close family friend of ours is a nephew to the famous sisters， his mother being one of the older children born before their family was torn apart。 I have never met this woman personally， but given that Elzire and Oliva Dionne are the grandparents of our friend I have Although they are somewhat forgotten in history， the legacy of the Dionne Quintuplets remains。 I always approach any book， documentary or movie with caution with this story due to the fact that my family has a distant connection。 A close family friend of ours is a nephew to the famous sisters， his mother being one of the older children born before their family was torn apart。 I have never met this woman personally， but given that Elzire and Oliva Dionne are the grandparents of our friend I have heard things differently， it doesn't mean I don't think what happened to the girls isn't awful， but I also see that it also tore the whole family apart。 So the story begins with the now nine year old quints being brought back home to their family for the first time since they were born and foreshadows the trouble that will come。 Then we flash back to May 1934 as Elzire delivers five baby girls at the same time。 Together they weigh just 13 pounds。 Elzire nearly dies in the process。 It doesn't take long for the news to spread that five identical baby girls were born to a northern Ontario farm family。 Soon the world converges on the small town。 Adding to the pressure is the cost to keep the delicate frail babies alive。 Soon the government steps in and takes away the babies， fearing their parents were going exploit them only for the government to do exactly that。 The battle rages between Elzire and Oliva and Dr。 Dafoe and the government with the five babies Yvonne， Annette， Cecile， Emilie and Marie， in the middle。 Eventually the girls return home， but by then the damage was done and the rift would never be healed in fact it only grew larger。 For me I only really became aware of the Dionne Quintuplets when The CBC movie Million Dollar Babies aired。 Later that summer on our annual visit to my grandparents my grandmother revealed that she was obsessed with the famous five girls and I went home with three books published to celebrate their first， second and third birthdays and a set of five spoons with their names and pictures engraved on them。 My grandma was just short of 13 when the girls were born but given what her idea of northern Ontario was， it's doubtful she ever visited Quintland。p and no doubt never went north until her son， my father moved there。 Then I learned of the connection we had to the family and it made me see the story in a totally different light。 It actually helped me to try and look at all historical figures especially recent history because these are not some distant figures everyone in this saga is a human being。 They are someone's parent， grandparents， child， sibling or friend。 I liked this story because it did a decent job of being fair to both sides。 Usually it vilified the parents， or the Dr but this book recognizes that while they all had flaws everyone was doing the best they could， but honestly both the doctor and Mr。 Dionne got swept up in the madness of it all。 As for the allegations of abuse， while the older girls vehemently deny it happened， the quits are equally adamant。 There is a clue about what might've happened。 In the hospital one of the nurses was convinced Dr。 Dafoe sexually abused the girls and told them what he was doing was dirty， that thought planted in an impressionable young mind， especially those isolated from the real world could be telling。 The allegations against Elzire could be similar。 Growing up in a normal household you get used to your mother raising her voice to you but in the hospital the girls never heard raised voices。 But these are all speculation on my part I wasn't there and sadly like most abuse allegations it's basically he said， they said。 I have no doubt that abuse did happen， the whole story was abusive toward the girls。 From being taken from their family to the financial abuse that drained their trust account。 The whole story is tragic， the entire family was completely ripped apart， poor Marie touched my heart the most and it broke reading how her story came to an end。 This was a well told balanced account of the Dionne Quintuplets and family and we can all only hope they all found some peace in their lives。 。。。more
Joan
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My grandmother had several scrapbooks with newspaper and magazine cuttings of things that interested her。 I loved to read them when I visited。 The Dionne quintuplets were prominently featured。 So， when I saw this book in the library， I was interested in revisiting their story。 I knew that they had been made wards of the province and that there had been unhappiness as a result of their institutional upbringing， but had no idea of the amount of 'infantilization' that they had experienced。 （being s My grandmother had several scrapbooks with newspaper and magazine cuttings of things that interested her。 I loved to read them when I visited。 The Dionne quintuplets were prominently featured。 So， when I saw this book in the library， I was interested in revisiting their story。 I knew that they had been made wards of the province and that there had been unhappiness as a result of their institutional upbringing， but had no idea of the amount of 'infantilization' that they had experienced。 （being spoon fed as late as age 2 yr; being coached and directed at play; dressed by others; very limited education - although that may have been a more general problem for girls and young women of the 1940s）The book is written to be easily read - short sentences， short chapters， repetition of key ideas。 I'm wondering if this is why it has ended up on young adult reading lists as the topics （state paternalism， exploitation， child abuse， lack of social development， family conflict） are not what I would hope would be of interest。 。。。more
Kristen
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Very easy intro to a subject I’ve been meaning to learn more about。 Well-written， lots of dialogue， charming pictures， and a balanced look at what happened。
Abbie Naylor
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Wow， what a powerful exploration of the suffering of the Dionne Quintuplets at the hands of so many different people， from the Ontario government themselves to their parents and other caregivers。 I really wasn’t expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did so I was very pleasantly surprised。 My feelings towards different people， especially their parents and the media presence generally， really changed and it felt like a real rollercoaster throughout。 Initially there was a lot of sympathy felt f Wow， what a powerful exploration of the suffering of the Dionne Quintuplets at the hands of so many different people， from the Ontario government themselves to their parents and other caregivers。 I really wasn’t expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did so I was very pleasantly surprised。 My feelings towards different people， especially their parents and the media presence generally， really changed and it felt like a real rollercoaster throughout。 Initially there was a lot of sympathy felt for the parents as people speculated and insulted them， but this changed to horror and disappointment as we began to learn about Oliva’s and Elzire’s treatment of the girls and money-making schemes。 I felt myself becoming very attached to each of the quints and especially loved learning about their lives as teenagers and beyond as they became adults to see where their lives would take them。 It was both fascinating and heartbreaking to learn the effects on them as individuals from their unique upbringing， especially from a psychological perspective。 Their story is one that more people should be aware of as I had barely heard anything prior to discovering this book， and I would highly recommend this version by Miller。 It was written in a compelling way where I never wanted to put it down and never got bored， so I feel a 5 star rating is very much deserved。 An excellent book overall。Read as part of the 1000 doors readathon for the first prompt “5”。 。。。more
Keari
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3。4
Jaline Perfect
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（4。5 stars） This account of the Dionne quints was written taking interviews， newspaper clippings， diaries and reports and so portrays the story of the five siblings as unbiased as possible。 I enjoyed the journalistic approach that revealed the good and very ugly sides of this history of Canada， and I especially appreciated the care taken to not glamourize or overshare gruesome details。 I do wish the ending was better for this story， and feel this leaves something to be desired， something unfinis （4。5 stars） This account of the Dionne quints was written taking interviews， newspaper clippings， diaries and reports and so portrays the story of the five siblings as unbiased as possible。 I enjoyed the journalistic approach that revealed the good and very ugly sides of this history of Canada， and I especially appreciated the care taken to not glamourize or overshare gruesome details。 I do wish the ending was better for this story， and feel this leaves something to be desired， something unfinished in the tale。 I hope we've learned something from the lives of everyone involved in this science-experiment-gone-wrong。 。。。more
Karen
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Basically an unremitting juggernaut of people being disgusting。 I haven't read anything else about the Dionne Quintuplets that I can compare this with， but it seems to me like the author tried hard to be fair。 It was an engaging story。 Basically an unremitting juggernaut of people being disgusting。 I haven't read anything else about the Dionne Quintuplets that I can compare this with， but it seems to me like the author tried hard to be fair。 It was an engaging story。 。。。more
Nadia
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The story of the Dionne Quintuplets was one which I had never heard before， and which stretched the limits of credulity， if it were not for so many examples of humanities failures。 The five sisters and their siblings endured so much trauma， and reading about their lives almost felt like an additional violation of their privacy， safety， and sanity。 Miller seems to do a good job of presenting both sides of the conflict that the quintuplets spurred， so much so that as a reader there isn't a clear " The story of the Dionne Quintuplets was one which I had never heard before， and which stretched the limits of credulity， if it were not for so many examples of humanities failures。 The five sisters and their siblings endured so much trauma， and reading about their lives almost felt like an additional violation of their privacy， safety， and sanity。 Miller seems to do a good job of presenting both sides of the conflict that the quintuplets spurred， so much so that as a reader there isn't a clear "allegiance" to any one side except the sister's。 Fascinating and horrifying， this was an excellent read。 。。。more
Krystle
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Interesting
teleri llinos
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Such a beautiful book and I would seriously recommend it。TW: This book touches on child abuse， it's much later in the book and isn't super graphic and doesn't go on for a long time but I thought it would be worth mentioning。 Such a beautiful book and I would seriously recommend it。TW: This book touches on child abuse， it's much later in the book and isn't super graphic and doesn't go on for a long time but I thought it would be worth mentioning。 。。。more
Libby
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I remember hearing about the Dionne quints growing up， but never knew much of their story。 While written for teens， this well-written， in-depth look at both the good and the bad of their lives is recommended for readers of all ages。
Kathleen Burns
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Enjoyable。 A fascinating story well told。
Lisa
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The Title is Very AppropriateWhat an amazing book about 5 amazing women！ Nothing about their lives was easy， beginning with their birth， but got thru that with each other's love， and their yearning to be seen as more than just a group， but as five different individuals。Along the way， they learn about how terribly exploited they were as children。 Their entire lives appear to be one big fight to be happy。。。 But there is happiness as wellGrab a copy and meet the girls for yourself！ They're amazing！ The Title is Very AppropriateWhat an amazing book about 5 amazing women！ Nothing about their lives was easy， beginning with their birth， but got thru that with each other's love， and their yearning to be seen as more than just a group， but as five different individuals。Along the way， they learn about how terribly exploited they were as children。 Their entire lives appear to be one big fight to be happy。。。 But there is happiness as wellGrab a copy and meet the girls for yourself！ They're amazing！ 。。。more
Tracey
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Well written， unbelievable story of how a novel situation （birth of quints in a remote area） during a national， global crisis （Great Depression）， brings two nations together to focus on a miracle to an extreme， and yet ruins the lives of the focal group and of their family。Amazing beginnings， devastating lives， “justice” in the end while a few are still alive。。。
PrairieReader
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