Thank you to one & all for your ongoing interest & support. I have removed the names of the writers to respect privacy.

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Hi Dawn (and Galen), 

I want to send a sincere thank-you for the gift of your book.  The universe works in funny ways.  I was thinking that I should start to get back into reading and had planned to go searching for a book the same week that your book arrived in my hands.  What a wonderful surprise! 

I could not put it down.  Your story and the fact that it describes a part of our country (and a way of life) that I didn't even know existed, was fascinating! I loved the honesty, the way that you didn't hold back describing how you felt (no matter what that feeling was). There were so many things I could relate to as a woman.  You are brave, bold and authentic.  Your granddaughters and grandsons, should be proud. It is incredible that you have been writing in such detail all of these years - I hope you keep writing, I would love to read more! 

 It is easy to see where Galen gets his curiosity and his strong love for his family.  He is always up for a challenge and has a great spirit! 

 Galen - thank-you for thinking of me.  I can't tell you both how much this gift meant to me.  I will always cherish it. With gratitude and a big hug! 

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Hi Dawn, I’ve really been enjoying your book. It’s fascinating learning about life in Newfoundland and about the people you met there. I especially love Uncle Jack. I’m so glad you had him. It sounds so beautiful and so terrifying. You were so young. You did an amazing job surviving so many tricky situations. I’m just at the chapter that you will use the ladder to climb the tickle. I never heard of a tickle before – I’m learning so much. I can’t believe Michael has gone out again hunting alone…It’s amazing he’s still alive to this day. I’ve never read a book about someone I know. Good for you for getting your story out and writing it so well…I love hearing about the communities when you found them, they seem so frozen in time. It’s sad to think that the men were so lost without that way of lie, but so interesting that it liberated the women so much when they moved…you must’ve loved having the helicopter dude Roland come by …that was a big blessing.   

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Dawn, I just finished chapter 6. My goodness you are such a wonderful writer. I’m right there with you with a few tears. You are amazing. I can’t put it down yet I have to do work. I can see it all. I’m starting to cry again. Love you so much my beautiful sister…I’m still crying, can’t stop…It’s so emotional, your words, your connection to your life’s story. I’m speechless and still crying…It’s such raw emotions that you share with your readers…It’s a very powerful book, no wonder it’s a best seller…we are all so much a part of you. We all share your emotions and feelings. We must take time and read it slowly. Love you my dear Dawn…Just finished your wonderful book, Dawn. It was so well written. Again I cried on the last page. Look forward to the next two. Love you so very much. 

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My book showed up last evening, and have finished it now. Wow, amazing. I couldn’t put it down. The house you bought for $35 was owned by my great uncle Reid Garland and my great aunt Mary. Chambers house was always said to be haunted and my mom and one of the Chambers’ girls were best friends and my mom stayed there many nights. I knew Sam Kendall, Uncle Jack, and all the Morris boys so well. John Henry, known to us as Jack, was a good friend and went hunting for partridge on Bay d’Nord Head. Hew was in his 70’s then and we couldn’t keep up with him He died not that many years ago. Your story brings back many memoires. My cousin was here this week; he is Uncle Jack’s grandson. I was telling him about the book. He is gonna order one now. I will do that review for you over the weekend.

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I’m just at the part now where you folks arrive in Pushthrough and I love how you just picked a house and slept in a church! WOW! This is what I needed to get through my reading slump! Unreal! 

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What a great writer! My daughter brought the book to me last night and I’m at page 103 already. Can’t stop reading. What a life you had! I know there’s a lot more to come. Thank you so much for writing. Was thinking when winter comes you must feel like it’s summer after all you’ve been through…I’m having a quick bite to eat so I can get back to your book…

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Hey Dawn, reading your book about half way through. It’s a good read so far! Of course I know all the spots and covers you have written about and remember the water by the Morris’ wharf all too well! Interestingly we met a tour guide at a wine tasting Jackson Triggs in Niagara on the Lake whose grandmother came from Pushthrough. He brought me over to a table to meet his family who asked me about the whale being stuck in the tickle and wanted to see pics of the place. Seems like the tales of Pushthrough are far reaching!...All finished – excellent book! I have so many memories of Great Jervis and you guys in the cove. As I was reading I was thinking I had great times exploring the summer I stayed with you but I can’t remember doing dishes or laundry…so you were probably glad when summer was over and I went home too…I was 8 or 9 so I might have got a pass on some chores! I think you only counted dad’s siblings in the bay in your diary. He was actually from a family of 14 children (9 stayed around the bay that you knew but there were also 5 who moved away.) It was a bold move you guys made back then! Amazing to read about the earlier days that were before my memory.

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Just finished reading the book. Amazing! Can’t wait to read the others when they’re published!

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I love your book so far. Honest, emotional, thought provoking, insightful. And that’s the first chapter. Love you. Thank you for sharing your story. Will keep you posted as I read along…Just finhed the chapters of our family visit. So wonderful to relive those memories and understand the time in a greater context.

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Hi Dawn, I am from McCallum. I met you through Jim Fudge over 50 years ago. Me and my family are really interested in obtaining your book. I understand it may be coming out this summer…I moved out of McCallum in 1986. I have lived in BC since 1987. I’ve been here over 37 years. I found your post through Tony Fudge. (we exchanged photos, past and present). You are as beautiful as I remember you 50 years ago and I’m not going to lie. I had the biggest crush on you back the. I remember you took a splinter out of my finger. I was so shy.

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I’m really looking forward to your book…My family lived in a little place called Goblin, 5 miles in the bay from Pushthrough until 1954. That year we moved to Pushthrough (I was 5 at the time) and lived there until 1969 when resettlement took over. My family then moved to Milltown.

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Hi Dawn, I am from McCallum. I met you and Michael a couple of times when you lived in Pushthrough. I left McCallum just after that and we now live in Kitchener Waterloo area. It’s good to hear from you after all those years. My wife and twin sister have lived in Kitchener for a long time. We came up here for work 27 years ago, 3 kids and 10 grandchildren later…That’s good news that you are writing that book. I remember Jack a little bit but I remember Sam the most. Yes it would be nice to have a coffee with you sometime…Hi Dawn, we are down in Great Jervis right now, right by your house! We didn’t go ashore but here is a photo of your house…Morning Dawn, there are a lot of people wondering when and where we can buy your book. I can’t wait to buy one…Hope you are doing well. A lot of people from McCallum, living in a lot of different places across Canada, are waiting to buy your book. I will order one right away…

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Hello Dawn, It has been a long time since Great Jervis time and the night Wish Benoit, my son and I spent with you and your family in your beautiful home there. At that time you were working on a manuscript for a book I am hearing you have since published several but I cant locate where your work is being sold. I would love to purchase some of your writing and hope you can point me in the direction. Thank you and I trust life is treating you well…

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Hello Dawn, Thank you for your beautiful email. I have thought of you many times over the years and wondered where your life travels took you especially after I heard of your decisions to go separate lives. I did speak to Michael when he was trying to set up a moose hunt at my hunting lodge, which has now been sold, as well as my floatplane. I had two others after the Taylorcraft a Piper, Super Cub and Cessna, Hawk XPll. The trip didn't happen due circumstances and I have unfortunately lost contact with him. My son (who has been in contact with Nicholas) went on to become an AME as well as a teacher in the job he loves AME for fixed and rotary wing aircraft. His full time job now is teaching Aircraft Maintenance Engineering (Helicopter) at Gander College of the North Atlantic and in summer after college closes he takes contracts with helicopter companies up north, where he is right now in Northern Ontario. It is quite a coincidence that we both are in Nova Scotia right now. I came here for a meeting in early May and have decided to extend my stay. I have relatives in Eskasoni First Nation and have been enjoying there as well as Membertou and Sydney. I have made one trip to Halifax and expect to cross over into Moncton NB before going back to Nfld. I am travelling in a class B motorhome, a Chev, Roadtrek 170, living like a turtle my home on my back. I really enjoy it. Dawn, I do look forward to reading Rescued. I will purchase both a hard copy and a Kindle edition, if it is available. On kindle I can carry a backload of books in my pocket :) It will be a pleasure to read your experiences in Le Grand Jervis, your journeys in Triology and every future publication you are pleasured to write. It is a different and a good experience when I know my authors as friends. I have gone through two breakups in the past 50 years and am now a motorhome rambler, or a trekkie as the group calls itself though I dont travel very far. Dawn I hope life continues to make your journey a happy one. Take care and again as I said previously, I look forward to reading soon :)…

Dawn I sincerely apologize but like a man is prone to do, I forgot to answer the most important question for a woman, about family and children ... I have 5 children. Eleven grandchildren. And 8 great grandchildren. Yes, life has been complicated relationship-wise but I acknowledge and admit I am the one responsible for its complications, no one else. Dawn, it has been nice communicating with you after all these years. Take care and I will prepare now to be able to very soon read your written life experiences... I have no idea of your current relationship with Michael but if you do communicate, please extend him my regards, for my heart still feels both of you as a friendship connection.  

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I wish you the very best Dawn, my friend. I started reading your book last night and couldn’t put it down! I read until 4 AM! Thank you for sharing your story and your inner self! You are a special individual and I am so fortunate to have you in my life!

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This is a wonderful true story, perfectly written to inspire many to bring to the forefront our own struggles and victories in our lives. Dawn's genuine reflections on her experiences helped me to embrace many of my own attitudes about myself and others. It's truly hard to imagine what it would be like to live a life as a pioneer especially in our technology driven society today. Great story, well told!... I loved this book and I highly recommend that it be featured in any book club!

REVIEWS on AMAZON

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Well I may be a slight bit biased, as I am her brother. But I thoroughly enjoyed Dawn’s first book. I admired my sister’s honesty and openness. It is full of adventures and scenes of a lost era of Canadian history. Hard to imagine such a young woman/mother/wife and writer struggling on a barren landscape with no amenities. It is a walk through time and an exploration into the human spirit.

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Rescued by Dawn Neill is a vivid and compelling memoir that transports readers to a remote, abandoned hamlet on the coast of Newfoundland in the 1970s—a place only accessible by boat, where isolation and beauty coexisted. Through the lens of her younger self, Neill recounts the raw experience of living with her husband and young son in a crumbling outport, navigating the challenges of rural life far from modern conveniences.

What stood out most to me were the stunning images she creates through her storytelling. Neill's writing paints such clear pictures of the landscape, the homes, and especially the people. Her use of personal diaries as a narrative foundation added an intimacy to the story.

I found myself wishing for more reflection from Neill's present-day perspective. With 50 years of distance, her hindsight could have added even deeper insight into the choices she made and the profound shifts in Newfoundland society she witnessed firsthand.

One of the most fascinating aspects of the book was learning about life in Newfoundland during a time of great change. Neill captures the contrast between the fishermen—many of whom felt betrayed by government centralization efforts—and the women who, for the first time, gained access to electricity, healthcare, and schools. For these women, the changes brought a sense of liberation: the possibility of safer childbirth, education for their children, and a life no longer defined by isolation and domestic hardship. These complex, sometimes conflicting perspectives are handled with empathy and curiosity, enriching the narrative.

What ultimately makes Rescued so compelling is Neill’s portrayal of a young woman navigating her way through a life that was both hers and not hers. She followed her husband’s dream, yet also pursued her own longing for simplicity and natural beauty. Their survival was shaped as much by trial and error as it was by community wisdom, and Neill does not shy away from acknowledging both the hardships and the quiet rewards of that life.

This is a well written memoir that offers a rare glimpse into a vanishing way of life, and into the heart of a young woman searching for meaning, identity and connection in a wild, remote place.

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Wow. This book brought back so many Memories. Just reading about Jack Wells, Sam, the Morris Boys and others that I knew well. This book is a must read, Thank you Dawn.  

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Incredible story that reads like fiction even though it’s an adventure memoir with lots of interesting Newfoundland history intertwined. And it’s extremely well written. I normally take at least a week to read a book but I simply found it too difficult to put down so I read it over two days. The book took me back to the ‘hippy’ era, the time of the anti-establishment and feminist movements of the late 60s and early 70s. I felt like I was there, witnessing Dawn’s struggles but from a man’s perspective. How she overcame these hurtles and near death experiences probably shaped Dawn, in a good way, for the rest of her life. This book is simply a must read.

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What a journey. From the very first page, Rescued drew me in and never let go. It's a powerful testament to the strength and resilience of Dawn Neill — raw, moving, and unforgettable.  

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I couldn’t put this book down. 'Rescued' is one of those rare true stories that sticks with you long after you’ve finished the last page. Dawn E. Neill takes you on an unforgettable journey from the outskirts of Toronto to the harsh, nearly forgotten coast of Newfoundland in the early 1970s. It’s raw, emotional, and incredibly inspiring.
You can feel every struggle and triumph—her words come straight from the heart... In fact, her actual diary she kept during this time. This isn’t just a story about surviving in a remote and unforgiving place; it’s about finding courage, strength, and identity when everything else is stripped away. I felt like I was right there with her, facing the cold, the isolation, and the fear, but also witnessing her resilience and growth.
Highly recommend this memoir to anyone who loves stories about grit, motherhood, and the quiet power of the human spirit. Right up there with 'The Joy Luck Club' by Amy Tan, this book should be read by all young women.

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Dawn is an amazing writer. I felt like I was there with her and couldn't put the book down.

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This has been a very good read where the author opens up about her first marriage and living in an isolated community in Newfoundland. It’s amazing she survived the experience.

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Absolutely transported to another time with this book!
I couldn’t put it down—Dawn is a natural storyteller who knows exactly how to keep a reader engaged. I loved the historical details and the vivid glimpse into life in a remote Canadian community during the 1970s. The raw emotion and honest truth-telling helped me connect deeply with the main character. Overall, it’s a must-read, especially if you enjoy memoirs and Canadian content.

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I have completed the read of Rescued and the author Dawn is one in a few writers who can make the reader not want to put the book down for a moment, it kept me glued and thinking about getting back to it even when I had to stop to do something ....

I read the Kindle ebook and feel this is a family library book and so will purchase the hard cover version as well.