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Home Economics

A Novel

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Home Economics

By: Katy Hays
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“A rollicking, heartfelt tale of one woman’s quest to win back her own life.”
—Jenny Jackson, New York Times bestselling author of The Shampoo Effect

A darkly humorous and wise novel about a disgraced American homemaking icon determined to win back her former Hudson Valley house—in a story that asks: what would you do to get the home, and the life, you loved back?


When former 1990s American homemaking icon, Punch Tillis, agrees to fill in as a cater-waiter for a fundraiser at Brieskill Farm, the historic Hudson Valley home she and her husband lovingly renovated (and disastrously lost), she expects to serve ninety plates of wilted greens and leave. Instead, after the event ends, she accidentally falls asleep in her old bedroom. The next morning, realizing no one has noticed her mistake, Punch decides she might as well stay another night. Or maybe two. What’s the harm?

Thirty years earlier Punch Tillis had built an empire as a do-it-yourself-and-do-it-right model for women everywhere: cookbooks, a television show, and eventually, her own line of custom paint. But when her drive and ambition brought the entire enterprise crashing down, Punch lost everything—her husband, her brand name, and worst of all, her beloved Brieskill Farm.

Then local college student, Lily, tells Punch that squatting can lead to tenancy rights and Punch enthusiastically begins her renewed tenure at Brieskill Farm, every acre of which reminds her of a life that, despite her hard work, still slipped through her fingers.

With Lily’s help—herself a budding social media savant and aspiring filmmaker—Punch’s residency quickly gains national attention. But when Brieskill’s current owners get wind of Punch’s adventure, they marshal the full support of the legal system to stop her. The ensuing drama makes for a story of redemption that is both just and deeply satisfying.

Ultimately, Home Economics is about intergenerational friendships, the power of community, and what, precisely, makes a house a home.
Family Life Friendship Genre Fiction Women's Fiction
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Critics' reviews

Advance praise for Home Economics:

“How do you make a house a home? Well, in Katy Hays’s irresistible novel, you climb into bed and refuse to leave! A rollicking, heartfelt tale of one woman’s quest to win back her own life.”
—Jenny Jackson, New York Times bestselling author of The Shampoo Effect

“How deeply I fell for Punch Tillis, a woman who can do it all! Rebuild a barn, serve the perfect dinner, skin a large animal. . . Martha Stewart, eat your heart out. I loved this book about resilience, second acts, found families, and literal and figurative home-making. An absolute treat.”
—Annie Hartnett, bestselling author of The Road to Tender Hearts

“Deliciously fun, smart, and delightful vengeance for competent women everywhere. It’s a wild tale grounded in the most human instinct, to try again on your own terms. This book is like being invited to a fabulous dinner party in a beautiful old house where every detail is perfect and the gossip is even better. . . I loved it.”
—Kate Myers, bestselling author of Salty and Excavations, now the series Dig on Peacock starring Amy Poehler
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