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The Pile of Stuff at the Bottom of the Stairs [Paperback]

Christina Hopkinson (Author)
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (52 customer reviews)

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Book Description

Publication Date: 3 Mar 2011 | ISBN-10: 1444710400 | ISBN-13: 978-1444710403
Mary Gilmour feels as though her life is going down a plug hole clogged with cornflakes and Play-Doh. Her job is part time but housework is full time, and she has no time at all for her two young sons. Mary is convinced that there is only one thing standing between her and organised contentment: his name is Joel and she's married to him.

Since star charts have worked on improving the behaviour of their children, she designs an equivalent for her husband: a spreadsheet detailing every balled-up tissue, every sock on the floor, every wet towel on the bed.

Although he has no idea of it, Joel has six months to prove that his credits outweigh his debits. Or else . . .

Product details

  • Paperback: 416 pages
  • Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton (3 Mar 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1444710400
  • ISBN-13: 978-1444710403
  • Product Dimensions: 15.1 x 4 x 23.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,243,912 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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More About the Author

› Visit Amazon's Christina Hopkinson Page
Christina Hopkinson
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Product Description

Review

'Christina Hopkinson has wittily and very realistically tapped into the zeitgeist - literally the most relevant novel for a working mother since I Don't Know How She Does It by Allison Pearson.'

(Plum Sykes, author of Bergdorf Blondes )

'I read it, I really enjoyed it, I left it on the stairs.'

(John O'Farrell )

'The new I Don't Know How She Does It'

(Grazia )

'This is a so-real-it's-scary, look at marriage, motherhood and the war on the domestic front.'

(Cosmopolitan, Australia )

'A perceptive take on modern marriage in a world where equality has handed the women the right to have it all but not the time, money or energy to actually do it.'

(Sunday Herald Sun )

'The strength of the novel is in its narrative arc about a relationship recalibrating after children disrupt the notion of gender equality . . . there are many shades of grey, many contradictions, many domestic realities incisively observed.'

(Sunday Telegraph, Australia )

About the Author

Christina Hopkinson is an author and journalist whose work has appeared in the Daily Telegraph, the Guardian, the Times, Grazia and Red magazine. Her first novel, IzobelBrannigan.com was published by Piatkus and was described by the Mirror as 'an insightful debut - witty, wise and worth reading'. She lives in London with her husband and three children.

Visit Christina's website, www.christinahopkinson.com, and follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/Xtinahopkinson.
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Typically woman versus man humour. 21 Mar 2011
By Karen Baxter VINE™ VOICE
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)
If you have a husband or partner and children you will find 'The Pile of Stuff at the Bottom of the Stairs' by
Christina Hopkinson extremely amusing, plenty of laugh out loud moments throughout. In fact my husband
got quite fed up with me reading out bits to him especially as some snippets bared a remarkable resemblance
to someone very close to me ... need I say more!

Here's the gist ...

Mary is dissatisfied with her husband Joel big time. Her gripes (and boy there are a few) are mainly about
her husband's lack of ability in the domestic line of things, being totally incapable of tidying up after himself
for example really rankles her. On top of that there's his lethargic attitude to looking after their children
and the fact that he sides with his mother about all manner of minor but never the less annoying topics.

It's a typical woman versus man type of war, however this time with a difference ... Joel has no idea it's
even going on, totally oblivious in his laziness he fails to notice that Mary appears to be preoccupied of late,
in fact she is completely engrossed in her version of a star chart, this one's for her husband and whereas a
child's star chart keeps track of good deeds, this one keeps meticulous detail of all Joel's bad points.

I love the quote at the beginning of the book from the author 'To Alex - you constantly inspire me but you are
not the inspiration for the story of a grumpy woman married to an untidy man', but sometimes you get to wondering
just how does she know so much :)

A great read and a fun book to discuss with other member of a reading book club.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A thought-provoking, hilarious romp through family life and definitely not just for women... 23 Jun 2011
By Jon Rance
Format:Hardcover
The Pile of Stuff at the Bottom of the Stairs by Christina Hopkinson is a truly laugh-out-loud wry take on wedded bliss gone awry. On the face of it, it seems to be just a middle-class comedy of errors about one women's fight to get her slothful husband to change his slovenly ways.

Joel is the traditional slacker; the husband who leaves his coffee mug around to collect all manner of detritus, discards wet towels like chewing gum wrappers and generally doesn't do his fair share around the house or with the kids, expecting Mary to pick up the pieces he leaves behind. All Mary wants is a neat, ordered house - just like her friend Mitzi - and so she starts The List, an excel spreadsheet of Joel's domestic disappointments and gives him six months to prove his worth or else.

However, as the book unfolds it becomes much more than just a domestic drama about Mary's marital discontent. At the heart of this book is the love story between Mary and Joel that with the introduction of children falls apart. It's the middle-class dream in all it's Aga, soy café lattes beauty turned upside down with the realisation that with children our lives are no longer our own. Mary's friend Mitzi seems to have it all; the beautiful, perpetually clean house, the wonderful children and the perfect alpha-male husband, while Mary is up to her arms in detritus and baby poo.

I won't give anything away but as with everything in life; the realisation that all is not what it seems and that we should always be wary of what we wish for comes true.

Being a married man with two children myself there was much to relate to in this book. The laughs were plentiful, the drama gripping, the scene in Norfolk shocking and the ending - as ending should be- was perfect.

This isn't chic-lit, it's deeper, more meaningful and says something important about how we live today - trying to have everything and risking ending up with nothing. It should resonate with both women and men in equal measure.

Top marks Christina for a great read. If you find this book amongst the pile of stuff at the bottom of the stairs, I'd sit down and read it and worry about the cleaning up later.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Easy and Funny Read 6 April 2011
By Lincs Reader TOP 100 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE
Format:Hardcover
Christina Hopkinson's novel is a wry look at modern-day marriage, totally honest, often funny and at times, alarmingly familiar. All too often it is the tiny irritations in life that make the most impact on how we are feeling; the wet towels left on the floor, the piles of loose change and crumpled tissues on the kitchen table, and yes, the pile of stuff at the bottom of the stairs. Mary decides she has had enough of Joel's laziness and compiles a complicated list that has debits and credits according to his behaviour - if he goes over his allocated credits, then she is thinking about divorce. Only Joel has no idea that the list exists.

At times I got incredibly irritated by Mary's whinges, on the face of it she has a pretty nice life, with a handsome husband, two beautiful children, a part time job that she loves and good friends. I began to ask myself what was the point of all of this. There were other times when I found myself nodding in agreement when she described Joel's annoying habits, but other times I was envious of her, and wishing I had a husband who could rustle up a fabulous meal at the drop of a hat - even if it did mean that he used every pan in the house.

This is a funny read that at times deals with some serious subjects. Mary's friend Mitzi and her husband Michael are two obnoxious characters who take a starring role towards the end of the book, even if it's a toe-curlingly embarrassing scene to read!

An easy read, that doesnt take long and looks at the everyday stresses and strains of life in a humorous and touching way.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Good read
This book seems like a lightweight read and to some extent it is, but it is certainly food for thought in how we perceive our own relationships.
Published 14 days ago by D
5.0 out of 5 stars Funny
Easy to read book with lots of very funny bits in it :) Even my husband liked it... Greatly recommended!
Published 1 month ago by Isabel
5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious and touching!
Loved this book as you can recognise so many day to day situations. A couldn't put down read! definitely worth a look
Published 6 months ago by claire stephens
5.0 out of 5 stars funny look at domestic hum drum
the book title "the pile of stuff at the bottom of the stairs" appealed because i have a pile of stuff at the bottom of the stairs! Read more
Published 10 months ago by suzymac
4.0 out of 5 stars Tripping up over Lego...
If you've ever wished he did more than take the bins out,you'll love this lighthearted look at the domestic divide...
I found this novel quick to read,and enjoyable.. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Tacky Modernism
4.0 out of 5 stars I recommend a read
I wasn't sure at first but I got engrossed and couldn't put it down
A very good read for the ladies.
Published 13 months ago by Helen
1.0 out of 5 stars Don't. Just don't.
Granted, it may be amazing after page 100 but by then I'd given up in disgust. Premise, apparently, that it's hilarious (yawn) to whine about your husband/MIL, be jealous of your... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Bouquiniste
2.0 out of 5 stars was this meant to be a black comedy?
Was this meant to be a black comedy? If so, as usual, I may have read the book more seriously than I should have done? Read more
Published 14 months ago by Aberter
1.0 out of 5 stars Truly awful book
This book starts out with what sounds like it might be a reasonably interesting idea - that equality for women will never come until the man starts tidying up (something I would... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Dotty P
5.0 out of 5 stars The funniest
Familiar and unforgettable characters inspire laughter over recognizable domestics that drive many people mad. An entertaining and shrewd observer Christina is.
Published 15 months ago by Vanessa
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