I remember the Dionne Quintuplets from my childhood. Although the initial excitement had died down, I remember occasional pictures of them as they were growing up, and I remember when Emilie died. But over the years they seemed to fade out of existence.

Of course, once in a while their story surfaces - especially in antique shops where Dionne Quintuplet memorabilia still sells - photos, coloring books, paper dolls, etc. And then recently I read Louise Penny's "How the Light Gets In" which featured the murder of the last surviving Canadian quintuplet. While not actually the Dionnes, Penny clearly based it somewhat on their story - and this piqued my curiosity about the famous sisters.

"We Were Five" was written in 1963; Annette, Cecile, Marie and Yvonne Dionne told their story to James Brough. At the time their parents were both living, as well as their brothers, sisters and other relatives. They seemed to skirt issues they may have had with their parents, emphasizing that they didn't want to hurt anyone, and that as children they could not possibly understand what their parents were feeling. Of course, they also note, their parents seemed to have no idea how they felt.

It seems, after reading this account, that there was more to their story than what appears on these pages. I look forward to reading their more recent book.