Paperback Edition
ISBN: 9781936932214
Publication Date: 06-12-2018

A heartfelt coming-of-age memoir about taking the unbeaten path, owning a home, and holding it all—including yourself—together.

Detouring from the traditional timeline of marriage-kids-house, twenty-six-year-old Vikki Warner skips straight to home ownership and buys a run-down three-story house in Providence, Rhode Island. Suddenly, she's responsible for a rotating cast of colorful tenants, and adulthood means exploding plumbing, gentrification, and navigating the 2008 market crash with no blueprint. Told with grit and good humor, this debut memoir is a candid exploration into how sharing space profoundly reshapes our lives and forces us to grow into ourselves. 

"Forget the marriage plot; 26-year-old Warner is after a plot of land. . . . [An] ebullient memoir." —O, The Oprah Magazine

"Refreshingly original reading." —Kirkus Reviews

“Heartfelt and fascinating.” —Booklist

"A thoughtful meditation on communal living and urban identity. . . . Quirky and fun." —The Providence Monthly

“Wry, smart, personal, and pretty damn punk rock.”  —Kate Schatz, author of Rad Women Worldwide

“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

“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: Making a Life of One's Own

“An ode to the messiness of life, Tenemental is the incredibly raw, touching, and laugh-out-loud story of a woman figuring out how to get by in the world.” —Emma Ramadan, co-owner of Riffraff Bookstore

Interested in reading this book with a group? Download group discussion questions for Tenemental: Adventures of a Reluctant Landlady here!