Every Tom, Dick & Harry: A Novel

by Elinor Lipman

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

Big-hearted and hilarious, Every Tom, Dick & Harry is a dazzling story chronicling one woman's whirlwind journey through inheriting her family's real estate business — and ruffling more than a few feathers along the way.

From the author of Ms. Demeanor—one of the most beloved comedic writers of our time—comes a charming, laugh-out-loud tale of love and criminality, a pitch-perfect romantic comedy.

“Over the course of more than thirty years and at least fifteen books, Elinor Lipman has been creating a singularly delightful and instantly recognizable literary universe. Lipmanland is a world adjacent to our own except the people there are more charming, the conversations are wittier, and love always prevails. Every Tom, Dick & Harry, weaves together estate sales, good and bad cops, and--get this—smalltown houses of ill-repute with effortless glee. Add sparkling dialogue, an improbably hilarious funeral, and one of the author’s most endearing love stories and you have the Lipman Literary Landscape at its irresistible best. When events are too much to handle in the real world, there are few better breaks than entering this one. Passport optional.”—Stephen McCauley

Taking over her parents’ estate-sale business is not the life’s work that Emma Lewis bargained for.  Yes, she grew up helping them empty people’s nests, but nothing prepared her for her biggest and stickiest “get”--the grand, beautiful house of ill repute masquerading as a decidedly beddable B and B.   Should Emma turn down potential clients in need of decluttering just because they are shady, escort-y, and proud of it?

No. A girl must make a living.

Around some hairpin turns Lipman ingeniously reveals a straight shot to happiness.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063322264
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	02/10/2026
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	5.31(w) x 8.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Elinor Lipman is the award—winning author of sixteen books of fiction and nonfiction, including The Inn at Lake Devine, Isabel’s Bed, I Can’t Complain: (All Too) Personal Essays, On Turpentine Lane, Rachel to the Rescue, and Ms. Demeanor, a finalist for the Thurber Prize for American Humor.  Her first novel, Then She Found Me, was adapted into a film directed by and starring Helen Hunt, with Bette Midler, Colin Firth, and Matthew Broderick. Lipman was the 2011–12 Elizabeth Drew Professor of Creative Writing at Smith College and divides her time between Manhattan and the Hudson Valley.

Hometown:

Northampton, Massachusetts, and New York, New York

Date of Birth:

October 16, 1950

Place of Birth:

Lowell, Massachusetts

Education:

A.B., Simmons College, 1972; Honorary Doctor of Letters, Simmons College, 2000

Editorial Reviews

"Quirky and fun, with bawdy wit.” - People
“As her previous 15 novels attest, Lipman reliably plots a smart, madcap foray into love and misadventure. Every Tom, Dick & Harry is a welcome visit to a world of likable characters playing the hands they're dealt, and nefarious ones earning their just rewards… Lipman convincingly weaves together small-town coincidences, revelations of ‘B&B’ customers, a discovery of a rare sculpture hiding in plain sight, and multiple nuptials to propel this witty and fast-paced feel-good novel to a satisfying conclusion… " - Shelf Awareness
“Elinor Lipman’s new novel is all comfort and joy… Every Tom, Dick & Harry is not a rom-com packed with LOL moments; instead, it’s a master class in writing about small-town life without tropes or judgment. You want to hang out with Lipman’s characters. Not just one of them, but all of them. They’re quirky, they’re unexpected and they remind you that life is good in a small town even when it’s not, because people care about you — even if they taught you algebra.”
- Washington Post
“An estate-sale manager in a small Massachusetts town stumbles on its worst-kept secret....charming”  - Kirkus Reviews
"If you’re a fan of Lipman, you’re going to love it. And, if you’re new to her, you’re in luck: Her 14 other comic novels are all terrific." - Minneapolis Star Tribune
“Lipman is known for her comic touch (her first book, Then She Found Me, became a 2008 movie starring Helen Hunt and Colin Firth). Here a woman takes over her parents’ estate sale business and ends up with some controversial clients who run what appears to be a B&B but is actually something quite a bit naughtier.” - AARP Magazine, A "Winter's Best Book to Get You Through the Chilly Season"
“The plot chugs along through its many twists and turns and the dialogue is snappy and witty. Lipman’s fans and newcomers alike will be tickled.” - Publishers Weekly
“In the delightfully reassuring rom-com tradition of Nora Ephron, the perennially mood-lifting Lipman is equally revered for her lovable characters, spitfire wit, and happily-ever-after romantic escapades.” - Booklist
“Enter a delightful small town of the kind only Elinor Lipman can deliver." - BookBub, "Most Anticipated"
"Elinor Lipman has been creating a singularly delightful and instantly recognizable literary universe. Lipmanland is a world adjacent to our own except the people there are more charming, the conversations are wittier, and love always prevails. Every Tom, Dick & Harry, weaves together estate sales, good and bad cops, and smalltown houses of ill-repute with effortless glee. Add sparkling dialogue, an improbably hilarious funeral, and one of the author’s most endearing love stories and you have the Lipman Literary Landscape at its irresistible best. When events are too much to handle in the real world, there are few better breaks than entering this one. Passport optional." - Stephen McCauley, author of My Ex-Life and You Only Call When You're in Trouble.
"Lipman’s fans and newcomers alike will be tickled." - Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

2025-01-18
An estate-sale manager in a small Massachusetts town stumbles on its worst-kept secret.

When Emma Lewis’ parents ask her to move back to Harrow and take over Estate of Mind—their business staging home sales for estates, downsizers, and others—she steps in with relative ease, having been been sticking price tags on candelabras all her life. Since they’re retiring to Cape Cod, they also offer her their house, and have already arranged a roommate: her father’s friend Frank Crowley, a retired math teacher, recently widowed when his wife was struck by lightning on the golf course. The warm relationship that develops between Frank and Emma as they share the house and soon, the responsibilities of the business, is at the heart of this tale of love and money and love-for-money. Estate of Mind soon has the opportunity to put on a sale at the infamous house at 1010 Quail Ridge Road, which operated variously as a B&B and a brothel known as Lola’s Ladies. Meanwhile, Frank has begun dating Connie Winooski, a recent widow and mother of the police chief, Luke Winooski. When Luke and Emma also start seeing each other, sticky situations arise. This book is all about the complications and overlapping romantic alliances that are the leitmotif of small-town drama, and some readers may find it useful to make a character list to keep track of all the names and relationships. For example, who is Theo? Well, he’s former kindergarten teacher Athena’s son; she’s now dating Manny, the disgraced former police chief, who was married to Lola, the “housemother.” Theo himself is dating Rain, aka Francine, the daughter of Frank’s dead wife, Ginger, from her marriage to Stefan. Lipman seems to be having herself a grand old time with this sort of thing. For the Daily Double, what’s the connection between John-Paul, Uncle Paul, and Paulina? Devoted readers will be ready for the quiz.

Charming if sometimes a little hard to follow.

Kirkus Reviews