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  • The Quintland Sisters

  • A Novel
  • Written by: Shelley Wood
  • Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert
  • Length: 11 hrs and 24 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (120 ratings)

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The Quintland Sisters

Written by: Shelley Wood
Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert
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Publisher's Summary

In Shelley Wood’s fiction debut, listeners are taken inside the devastating true story of the Dionne quintuplets, told from the perspective of one young woman who meets them at the moment of their birth. 

Reluctant midwife Emma Trimpany is just 17 when she assists at the harrowing birth of the Dionne quintuplets: five tiny miracles born to French farmers in hardscrabble Northern Ontario in 1934. Emma cares for them through their perilous first days, and when the government decides to remove the babies from their francophone parents, making them wards of the British king, Emma signs on as their nurse. 

More than 6,000 daily visitors come to ogle the identical “Quints” playing in their custom-built playground; at the height of the Great Depression, the tourism and advertising dollars pour in. While the rest of the world delights in their sameness, Emma sees each girl as unique: Yvonne, Annette, Cécile, Marie, and Émilie. With her quirky eye for detail, Emma records every strange twist of events in her private journals.

As the fight over custody and revenues turns increasingly explosive, Emma is torn between the fishbowl sanctuary of Quintland and the wider world, now teetering on the brink of war. Steeped in research, The Quintland Sisters is a novel of love, heartache, resilience, and enduring sisterhood - a fictional coming-of-age story bound up in one of the strangest true tales of the past century.

©2019 Shelley Wood (P)2019 HarperCollins Publishers

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What listeners say about The Quintland Sisters

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Beautiful

This is a gripping story to be sure, and it was made all the more powerful by Gilbert’s masterful narration and emotive performance. She made an effort to create distinct voices without being ridiculous. The only reason I’ll rate 4 stars rather than 5 is because her pronunciation of French words and names was often quite off, which I, as a native French speaker, found to be distracting and sometimes aggravating. On the whole however, very much worth the listen.

7 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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A brilliant approach to this story

As a Canadian, I have long known about the Dionne quintuplets, and have thought it a sad and disturbing story. In recent years I have heard bit of news about the surviving sisters and their difficulties later in life. So, I wanted to read an account, to understand more. I was initially hesitant about a fictional account but Shelley Wood has done the story justice ~ and it really works. The history of what actually happened has been woven into the fictional story of a young nurse who was with the girls from birth to girlhood. It's rather clever, and a great listen.

4 people found this helpful

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A very splendid listen!

The Quintland Sisters story was suggested to me by a friend. I find it quite interesting how people and places are connected - hence, my connection to the places in this book enhanced my interest. But even without that, I would have loved this text. The story is one of happiness and tragedy, and the characters, outside of the children, are caring and flawed. The writer created a wonderful piece of literature - I’m not sure how much poetic licence was used in contrast to documented evidence, but the result is a narrative that informs and entertains.

The narrator is the very best. She covers the range of characters with consistency and believability. Excellent acting. This book is well worth the listen!

2 people found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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Terrible reader!

The reader cannot pronounce any of the French names, and the accents that are supposed to be Québec French sounded more like a bad Russian spy. I could not listen to more than 5 minutes of this book.

1 person found this helpful

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My first audiobook

I couldn’t stop listening. It was so captivating. The storytelling is incredible. I didn’t want it to end. Thank you.

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An Easy Interesting Listen

I’ve never imagined a book like this would be any good, however it captured my interest and was eager to listen to it ever chance I could. It was very interesting and made me want to hear more not about the Quits but about Mrs Trimpany. The reader was very good at keeping your attention with her voice. The facts surrounding the events were great to hear. Definitely worth a listen.

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Loved this sad story ...

... a miracle and a tragedy in one incredible story. Loved the narrator's way with her pronunciation of the French names and the children's voices.

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Not bad!

It was a good story and i enjoyed it but it wasn't what I expected. It was slow paced and at times almost boring.

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mixing fiction and fact..maybe a tad confusing

interesting... but checked on a couple of things that didn't happen exactly the way the story went. like Hollywood movies that they embellish I suppose.nonetheess entertaining.

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Narrator brings characters alive

I could tell who was speaking by their voice even before we were told their name.

Very fascinating story for a Canadian born after the phenomenon which was Quintland!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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  • sharon
  • 2019-04-21

Interesting but Tragic Story of the Dionne Quints

This is a fictionalized account of the birth and first 6 years of Dionne Quints.The It was well written and interesting.
I assume it was based on accurate research. If The portrayal of the Dionne Parents was accurate they were TERRIBLE people.The Father was a beast and the mother was a religious fanatic firmly under the control of her husband.
The main character Emma was also a tragic figure who was absolutely devoted to welfare and well being of the Quints.
The Narration was very good.
Even though the story was very sad in parts I enjoyed the book.

1 person found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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  • Anonymous User
  • 2022-06-29

Couldn’t enjoy the book because of poor narrator

The narrator sounds as if she’s is constantly hysterical and on the verge of tears. Everything, even superfluous details, are expressed in a high pitched emotional tone. Very irritating and takes away from the story.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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  • Anonymous User
  • 2022-06-21

Historic and sad story

No happy endings for anyone involved with the famous Canadian quintuplets. Fictionalized true story is intriguing, but so sad in the end, as real life can be.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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  • D. Risner
  • 2022-02-17

Fiction, did I really learn anything?

Basic information I suppose was true the shocking part and the sad part doesn't even come till the very last couple of minutes

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  • Colleen W.
  • 2020-08-16

Wonderful book

I Just finished this book. It was a interesting story. The narrator did a awesome job. One of the best books I have read in a long time.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Annette R. Wilson
  • 2019-12-11

Very Good

Really draws you in & gets to your heart.
You tend to forget that it’s fiction.
Two thumbs up.

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  • HOS20
  • 2019-07-08

such a personal story shared with humor and tears

tender picture of an incredible piece of quite often misunderstood history. I felt like I was there actually part of the scene. highly recommended.

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  • Elle Knowles
  • 2019-05-08

Learned a lot about the quints I never knew

Very interesting book with lots of details not widely known. Well written and researched. Made me want to know more.