My youngest fan!
Scotti Dayan Griffin, age 22 months
What readers are saying about Nanaimo Girl:
Well, the book is a joy – beautifully written, tip to tail wild escapades, a delightful romp. Best of all, it’s you in pen and ink. Sometimes I’d lift my eyes from the page and look agog at the book itself – how quiet and two-dimensional those marks on paper are, I’d think, in contrast to the technicolour wild energy of the character who arranged them. Now you have to invent a liquid- bright pink perhaps- that is you distilled; stick it in a small demure antique bottle and offer it up; when drunk, one is flush with l’esprit de Prudence, levitates off the floor and flies out the window. The book has the same effect.
Julia Dover
Briony Kemp-Griffin, Chanteuse et artiste
“Look what I got!”
Jean Thérése Riley in her garden in Toronto summer 2020
Dear Pru,
We’ve both read it and been touched and impressed by it. You have written more than a personal memoir this is a portrait of our time and you have done it with your usual intelligence, honesty, sensitivity and panache. What a rich and colourful canvas of personalities and places you share with such conspiratorial ease. I’ve thought a lot about using the word panache to describe your particular brand of charm, your author’s voice and your presence. Somewhere on the road between bold, outrageous, eccentric, amusing and stylish lives panache and it’s a rare and beautiful thing. Part of what I admire the most is how unflinchingly and ever so lightly you handle the costs of such apparently effortless capacity for creating fun while at the same time solving problems, getting things done and making sure the effort of it remains invisible. We congratulate you and send much love. It was certainly worth waiting for.
Alma Lee CM, D. Litt (Hon), Founder and first Artistic Director of Vancouver Writers Festival
“I absolutely loved Nanaimo Girl! I met Prudence when I worked in the film industry. I was working at Universal Pictures when they had a production office in Toronto – which is how I got a mention in the book!! Prudence has had an extraordinary life and she has written about it with honesty, humour and wit and because I know her – I can hear laughing throughout. I think someone else pointed this out – she has a great and infectious laugh.”
Charlie Pachter, Toronto Artist
“Look what I got!”
“What a marathon, a frenetic romp, a roller coaster ride through her life Pru has compiled!”
Click here for Charlie Pachter’s Book Report
Nanaimo Girl appeals to all ages!
“I got one too!”
Cousin Lyra
“Last night I finished your book. It was absolutely wonderful and I enjoyed every bit of it. I laughed so much in parts, as you can see.”
Mollie Patterson
“I’m loving this!
Semele Anstis
“A great book.”
George Easdon
“Can’t tear myself away!”
Elisa Mclaren
“A fascinating and funny memoir – wait for the accolades to roll in.”
Janet (henderson) scott
“Your book is a huge success with everyone who has read it. It should go viral. It is beautifully written and funny as hell. Well done!”
Bill HuTchison
“A perfect Saturday afternoon.”
Alix Cameron
“Your book will be a fun and informative read for many. So glad that you put your pen to paper to complete this wonderful work. I for one am happy that you took the time and effort to let us into your crazy, wacky, wonderful life well lived. Well done. It’s an honour to be your cousin and your friend.”
Dr. John Emery
“What a relief for us ‘shut ins’ (recently returned from Florida). When I ripped open my surprise Amazon package, I shrieked with delight to find Nanaimo Girl – the perfect diversion for these days of social isolation. It’s a party on every page. I especially relish the memories with you in the Savoy’s Press Office, where I quickly learned that ‘Press’ meant pushing the service button for another bottle of bubbly!”
Eva Czilger
To read more about the Heritage Site of Pachena Point Lightstation, click here.
“That was quite the read, quite the adventure. I still dine out on that Ron Silver/Dalai Lama anecdote, your retelling is accurate.”
Ben Mark Holzberg
Photo by Ben Mark Holzberg
“Woohoo! Look what arrived! I’m looking forward to reading.” – Kathy Scott 
Shelley Graham
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Prudence Emery 