by Shelley Wood
The Quintland Sisters has another lesson, I think, about people serving on the margins of celebrity. What happens to Emma in the novel is entirely fictional, but it’s not implausible: as modern-day events have made all too clear, the brighter the spotlight, the darker the shadows. Emma’s story, I hope, gives voice to women hushed and swept aside when their complaints are at odds with the feel-good story in the public eye.
Reading Group Guide Questions
Were you already familiar with the story of the Dionne quintuplets? If so, how did you first learn about the sisters? If not, what surprised you about their story?
Did your opinion of Dr. Dafoe, the Canadian government, or the Dionne parents change over the course of the novel? Who was in the right? Who was in the wrong?
“Normal” motherhood is absent in The Quintland Sisters. Both biological and substitute mothers in the book can’t or don’t “mother” according to conventional norms, and Emma herself says that she has no intention of becoming a mother. What do you think are the essential components of motherhood, and how were these present or absent in the lives of the quintuplets?
Emma insists she would be happy to stay at the Dafoe Nursery for as long as she possibly can, but what are her motives for staying? Are they purely altruistic, or are they selfish?
Emma tries to capture the true individuality of each Dionne girl in her art with her pencils and paintbrushes. But Emma’s art also helps perpetuate a fairy-tale world. Discuss how Emma’s progress as an artist serves as a metaphor for the deepening tensions at the heart of the story.
The Quintland Sisters, we learn at the outset, consists of archival “fonds.” How do these documents both support and undermine the central “facts” of the Dionne story? What do we gain from seeing this world from Emma’s vantage point? What do we lose?
Emma prides herself on noticing quirky details, yet her eyes are so focused on her young charges that she fails to fully see what’s going on around her. At the same time, the people in power work hard to make sure the public sees only the official version of events and nothing more. What does Emma’s predicament share with modern-day celebrities and those who work in the margins of fame?
Imagine the Dionne sisters being born today under similar circumstances, but in the era of social media and twenty-four-hour news. Would they have fared better or worse?
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. References to real people, events, establishments, organizations, or locales are intended only to provide a sense of authenticity, and are used fictitiously. All other characters, and all incidents and dialogue, are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real.
P.S.™ is a trademark of HarperCollins Publishers.
THE QUINTLAND SISTERS. Copyright © 2019 by Shelley Wood. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
Cover design by Mumtaz Mustafa
Cover photograph © Elisabeth Ansley/Trevillion Images
FIRST EDITION
Digital Edition MARCH 2019 ISBN: 978-0-06-283911-4
Version 01312019
Print ISBN: 978-0-06-283909-1
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