Quotes
“Forget the marriage plot; twenty-six-year-old Warner is after a plot of land. She buys a century-old triple-decker house…In this ebullient memoir, she excavates the experiences of being landlady to that ‘needy bitch’ of a house—plus tenants who ‘break bathtubs with sledgehammers,’ the permeating smell of reefer and sounds of Black Sabbath, and a late-night near debacle involving burnt toast.” O, The Oprah Magazine
“Tenemental describes some of the challenges of the landlady life, from the tenant who destroyed his apartment for ‘renovations’ and then left, to the crack house across the street, to a mysterious rash of fires in the neighborhood…[The house] has given her a respect for staying power, for those who remain and grapple with the reality of their communities over the long haul.” Providence Journal
“In this hilarious and down-to-earth memoir, Warner provides a rare glimpse of life as an emotionally present landlady…Heartfelt and fascinating, this is perfect for readers curious about the person on the other side of their rent checks.” Booklist
“Things in PennHenge may have been dirty, broken, or misaligned, but the author was still happy for what she had created in a world obsessed by illusions of perfect—and ultimately unsustainable—lifestyles. The book is not only a story of a young woman’s often hilarious (mis)adventures in homeownership; it is also a thoughtful meditation on how living spaces both reflect and shape the individuals who inhabit them. Refreshingly original reading.” Kirkus Reviews
“Narrator Rebecca Mitchell’s unbridled enthusiasm mirrors author Vikki Warner’s plunge into property management…The naïveté and earnestness that could have sunk Warner appear to be what pull her past her biggest obstacles.” AudioFile
“Full of color, life, and that special type of real, earned wisdom that only comes with taking risks and trusting completely in your own young self.” Kate Bolick, author of Spinster
“Cheers to Vikki Warner, whose tenacious and inspiring coming-of-age story gives voice to a new generation of independent women and grown-ass boss ladies.” Margot Kahn, coeditor of This Is the Place
“Vikki Warner’s memoir is wry, smart, personal, and pretty damn punk rock in its story about home, property, and life as a semi-together feminist twentysomething trying to balance utopian visions of community, friendship, and romance with the harsh realities of crappy tenants, a dilapidated Victorian, and those brutal New England winters.” Kate Schatz, coauthor of Rad Women Worldwide
“The incredibly raw, touching, and laugh-out-loud story of a woman figuring out how to get by in the world while doing as little harm to it as possible, and ode to the messiness of life.” Emma Ramadan, Rifraff Bookstore and Bar
