Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
The Pile of Stuff at the Bottom of the Stairs
What's the thing you hate most about the one you love?
Mary doesn't know whether it's the way he doesn't quite reach the laundry basket when he throws his dirty clothes at it (but doesn't ever walk over and pick them up and put them in), or the balled-up tissues he leaves on the bedside table when he has a cold, or the way he never quite empties the dishwasher, leaving the...more
Mary doesn't know whether it's the way he doesn't quite reach the laundry basket when he throws his dirty clothes at it (but doesn't ever walk over and pick them up and put them in), or the balled-up tissues he leaves on the bedside table when he has a cold, or the way he never quite empties the dishwasher, leaving the...more
Paperback, 402 pages
Published
February 1st 2012
by Hodder & Stoughton
(first published March 1st 2011)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
This book is not yet featured on Listopia.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
776)
This isn't a terrible book: it's just essentially rather dull. The messages of the novel seem to be 1) being a parent is hard work. 2) Each partner in a marriage tends to think, feel and behave differently from the other. 3) Housework is tedious and women often end up doing more of it.
Fortunately 4) A little belated rationality/courtesy/tolerance means that most of us should be able to live more or less happily ever after, whilst counting our blessings.
Most of these 'truths' could be found in an...more
Fortunately 4) A little belated rationality/courtesy/tolerance means that most of us should be able to live more or less happily ever after, whilst counting our blessings.
Most of these 'truths' could be found in an...more
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 acc...more
Mar 23, 2012
Tanya Marie
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
read-in-2012,
from-the-library-bag
Goodness ~ it started off hilarious and was very entertaining, a lot of the passages close to home and others a bit overdrawn. Once I finally got to the middle of the book, in hopes that Mary would get a grip and instead of complain, complain, make her lists of negativity and DO something, it just lagged further and frankly, was a bore to the very end. The couple, Mary and Joel, had many issues but then so do all marriages - that causes them to fall into bad habits that perhaps were always at th...more
While this book did have some minor redeeming qualities, overall I didn't like it much. First the good points: It did bring up some points that I thought were interesting, and worth further discussion, on the battle between the sexes, relationships, etc.
Second, the last chapter was better, which will be explained further by my bad points below.
Bad points: The first bad point is pretty major, and that is, the main character/narrator of the story is just really not a likeable person for most of t...more
Second, the last chapter was better, which will be explained further by my bad points below.
Bad points: The first bad point is pretty major, and that is, the main character/narrator of the story is just really not a likeable person for most of t...more
I was glad to see that I could review this book without giving it a star rating. My personal rating would be only one or two stars, and that's really not fair to the book. It's an interesting, fairly well-written women's fiction book, and I can't blame the author for my total lack of interest in it. I kept reading, though, clear through to the end, mostly because the characters were (with a few notable exceptions) realistic and compelling.
My issue actually lays in the book's realism. Realism can...more
My issue actually lays in the book's realism. Realism can...more
Grammatically speaking, just because I don't believe in marriage doesn't mean I have a disbelief of it. It exists. As proof, people regularly commit themselves willingly to what I believe is the last form of legally binding slavery available to man. It's not like marriage is a figment of the imagination and if so many people want it, it must be worthwhile, right?
Now, keeping in mind that I'm not going to attack this book with an anti-marriage stance, I still feel this book made me question why p...more
Now, keeping in mind that I'm not going to attack this book with an anti-marriage stance, I still feel this book made me question why p...more
Mary and Joel have two young boys, both are employed - she is part-time at four days per week but still responds to e-mails & phone calls on her 'day off'. And they have a house Mary feels is never tidy and Joel believes is comfortable.
Sounds like your typical marriage, doesn't it? But Mary is fed up with doing everything while her husband walks away and ignores messes he or the kids have created. Still kinda typical. Then Mary decides to make a list and tally Joel's credits & debits. In...more
Sounds like your typical marriage, doesn't it? But Mary is fed up with doing everything while her husband walks away and ignores messes he or the kids have created. Still kinda typical. Then Mary decides to make a list and tally Joel's credits & debits. In...more
I am giving this book a one, because it flops. It was an interesting title (the reason I picked it up from the library shelf) and had some initial funny and fresh descriptive writing for the everyday OCD mother. I was reading it on a drive, and occasionally read it aloud to my husband because of the funny way it described some parenting scenes. However, the novel soon took a turn for the worse. It becomes pessimistic and whiny, threatens divorce and the break up of a family over the drop of a ha...more
I loved the premise and the first few chapters -- then it got to feeling whiny and I flipped ahead to make sure it wasn't just a catalog of transgressions. I thought I'd empathize ... frankly, the list sounded so much like me BUT what I expected her to find was perspective: things weren't as bad as she felt. But no...we got whining and martyrdom and envy and eventually another list. I wondered why Joel wasn't unhappier (at the beginning) with the toxic, critical atmosphere. I skipped a lot of th...more
Nov 10, 2011
Lana.
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Lana. by:
CBC's Writers and Company
Billed as "Harried and hilarious", Christina Hopkinson's book reads rather depressing. Thankfully, as she knows to make each page interesting - it was a quick read.
Mary was once a strong, independent woman who liked things to be organised and clean. Joel was her exciting, free-spirited boyfriend who she married.
Now, years later, the pair have two children, and Mary has too much on her plate: Child care, juggling a part-time position that has full-time responsilibities, and a husband who is res...more
Mary was once a strong, independent woman who liked things to be organised and clean. Joel was her exciting, free-spirited boyfriend who she married.
Now, years later, the pair have two children, and Mary has too much on her plate: Child care, juggling a part-time position that has full-time responsilibities, and a husband who is res...more
"But you are not the only one, as there are some standard habits men have that annoy women to the core. Christina Hopkinson, author of the book 'The Pile Of Stuff At The Bottom Of The Stairs', tells you the top ten things that women hate about men, reports the Daily Mail.
This is a very funny, piercingly clever book, which is difficult to put down (does anyone else recognize the authors husband, my good friend the leading divorce lawyer and self proclaimed "modern man", Alex Carruthers?). Too ma...more
This is a very funny, piercingly clever book, which is difficult to put down (does anyone else recognize the authors husband, my good friend the leading divorce lawyer and self proclaimed "modern man", Alex Carruthers?). Too ma...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I picked out this book on a whim when I was at the library picking up something else. The other posters' reviews are very accurate and so I have nothing to add. Many of the items on "The List" are truly things that annoy every married woman. Even though it upset her husband, the list clearly helped her release some of her frustrations in a constructive way. It definitely is not equivalent to cheating. Living with someone else is a series of compromises and the other person is putting up with you...more
If it weren't for the fact that the book is clearly British, I would have thought this was my own memoir in novel form! Like the main character Mary (or "Scary Mary" as she sees herself at her worst OCD moments), I, too, obsess over the mundane messes, leaving myself at risk for missing out on the best that messy marital life has to offer--the endless opportunities for making memories with my husband and two boys. Hopkinson does a great job of making the mundane hilarious, of highlighting real-w...more
There is a pile of stuff at the bottom of the stairs, and it irritates the heck out of Mary Gilmour. Her husband, Joel, ignores the pile and climbs right over it. And adds to it daily! For Mary, the piles and messes in her home have become overwhelming. So overwhelming that she’s actually considering divorcing Joel.
Then she has an idea: the list. Mary creates a list of all of Joel’s housework transgressions. By documenting all of his domestic don’ts, Mary seeks some clarity. What she achieves w...more
Then she has an idea: the list. Mary creates a list of all of Joel’s housework transgressions. By documenting all of his domestic don’ts, Mary seeks some clarity. What she achieves w...more
Mary is at the time of her life with two small children that one husband drives her over the edge. She decides to keep a list of his transgressions for 6 months. This book had many flaws but kept me reading to see if Mary would ever own up to her own irritating habits and come out from the other side to sanity. One warning - the last two books I've read have overt sexual hetero/homo scenes, which is not what I sign up for in my reading voluntarily. For me it is balanced that so many of my though...more
Nov 27, 2011
Melissa Lee-tammeus
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
borrowed
I really wanted to like this book. I picked this book up and set it down three times. Add every time, it was just the same - a wife and mom who has become bitter, angry, bitchy, and overwhelmed to the point where she makes fun of everyone and everything, blames everyone but herself, and starts making a list of all the things her husband does wrong. Incredibly tiresome. This is the 21st century right?I just couldn't support this book. I am hoping that she gets a clue and her own life by the end b...more
I thought it was time for some lighter reading and really enjoyed this. The title grabbed me because i live in a house where there is always a pile of stuff at the bottom of the stairs that everyone else walks past with ease...except for me! I did like the opening lines as well "that stray piece of jigsaw puzzle peaking out from under the rug willed me to ignore it...and allow it to continue to exist, estranged from its fellow puzzle pieces" Ahh yes. Thats me. Way too Type A...still at least i c...more
This book had some very funny bits, the best husband character in history and pretty darn likable narrator. I'm still cringing over one section (any reader and author knows which one) which is what keeps me from passing it along to more friends. The narrator is appealing, not whiny and her descriptions of the grosser parts of parenting and housekeeping are dead on. Just not the fast read I would have expected, perhaps it was me. Mothers with younger children could really get into it more. Love t...more
Always a challenge to understand Brit-centric books but the story was one I could follow...I could totally relate to the protagonist's role as the shaper of home and life for the household but not really for herself. In fact, it was intriguing to find out if there is a solution or at the very least what solution she came up with. Chacracters are well drawn and you find yourself feeling with them...for them...against them. Very interesting observations on an age old problem. Engaging read!
When I read the fly leaf on this book I thought, "This is me!" but it isn't. This book is about a neurotic woman who can't concentrate on a tv program because there's a puzzle piece in the corner. I would like some help around the house but by page 10 I was sick of this crazy woman myself. She aggravated me so much that I stopped reading and don't intend to finish. So much could be done with this theme but for me this book completely misses the mark. I wanted humor, not aggravation.
The book started well enough but then seemed to be a constant moan about everything most of us find annoying enough about husbands without having to be reminded of it! I didn't particularly 'like' any of the characters, apart from Becky, and felt more emotional displacement rather than empathy by the middle of the book.
It didn't really live up to the blurb, and as a friend said, the idea was perhaps better than the resulting book, but the surprisingly decent ending raised it from a 2 to a 2.5.
It didn't really live up to the blurb, and as a friend said, the idea was perhaps better than the resulting book, but the surprisingly decent ending raised it from a 2 to a 2.5.
I really enjoyed this book. Definitely had some stereotypes in it - and saw myself a little too clearly at times (sad admission!) - but I so enjoyed the book itself and the ease of reading - and I loved the ending.
I just read other peopel's comments - and wonder if they've ever been married! Honestly, I didn't think she complained too much - I think she was experiencing the frustration that many moms/wives experience on a regular basis.
I would definitely recommend this!
I just read other peopel's comments - and wonder if they've ever been married! Honestly, I didn't think she complained too much - I think she was experiencing the frustration that many moms/wives experience on a regular basis.
I would definitely recommend this!
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. Disenchanted Mary decides to create a list of all the things that her husband does to annoy/confirm her suspions that a divorce maybe an option - for six months....Sounds a bit formulaic but Hopkinson writes in a witty and knowing style that mother's/wives will relate to. Family life and all its trials and tribulations are bought to thoughtful and comedic life. 7/10
Jun 13, 2011
Sharon
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
kindle-freebies,
christina-hopkinson
Couldn't really get into it, which was disappointing as it sounded good. It's not my usual kind of book, but looking through some book reviews and this seemed to fair quite well so thought I would give it a go. It started off quite promising, a few slightly amusing parts, but then about a third of the way through seemed to drag and it took a lot of effort to find the incentive to finish it. 2 stars, could have been better.
Jan 16, 2013
Sallyann Van leeuwen
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
chick-lit
Quite a funny book about the inequality of cleaning that is done by wives/husbands. Mary wants a tidy house and a husband that does his share of the housework, and is so frustrated by his messiness that she begins a list of his misdemeanors. As we meet Mary's friends through the book we see something that Mary can't - she's got it pretty good, but she wants it better. Will she learn to live with the clutter or will she punish Joel for his crimes?
This book is hard to rate. Basically, it's the story of a wife and mother who complains about her husband for most of the book and keeps a detailed list of his transgressions. It's quick and fun to start and reminded me of I Don't Know How She Does It (initially, as the book went on the comparison fades). I liked the book but didn't love it.
What made me pick up this book, ultimately made me put it down! While browsing for books at the library, I came across this book of a woman whose husband was thoughtless, messy and above all, clueless about his thoughtlessness and messiness! I was hooked. I had the same husband. I brought it home and read a few chapters and could not stand it because this crazy woman was even more crazy and more obsessed and more judgmental than I was. She even made a spreadsheet of all the things he did wrong!...more
What a fun book! The descriptions of young mommyhood and wifehood were scarily familiar and hilarious. And although I kept wanting to shake "Scary Mary" and tell her to stop looking at the grout mold and SEE what she's got, that's exactly what Hopkinson wants us to feel. I can imagine I wasn't the only reader who was rooting for Joel. LOVED the best friend Becky. And Ursula was a hoot.
Particularly recommended for the British reading crowd, as there are a lot of references to life in London that...more
Particularly recommended for the British reading crowd, as there are a lot of references to life in London that...more
This had so much potential and for the most part it was a good read. Along the lines of "Yummy Mummy." Some laugh out loud passages such as the author's take on the "Fly Lady." But there were a few parts I felt were really unnecessary and some character & plot development which was lacking. 2.5 stars.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Sep 20, 2011 07:08am