Nellie Posted March 29, 2009 Posted March 29, 2009 I bought this book on a whim a few weeks ago, and I am so glad I did! From Watersones Website: Alice Butler has been receiving some odd messages - all anonymous, all written in code. Are they from someone at PopCo, the profit-hungry corporation she works for? Or from Alice's long lost father? Or has someone else been on her trail? The solution, she is sure, will involve the code-breaking skills she learned from her grandparents and the key she's been wearing round her neck since she was ten. "PopCo" is a grown-up adventure of family secrets, puzzles, big business and the power of numbers. It was the code breaking element that attracted me to the book, and I wasn't disappointed. The narrative explains some concepts of cryptography in a very accessible way. There are also some wonderful flash back passages as Alice recalls her childhood with her grandparents in the 1980s, and the scenes at school are hysterical. Anyone who was at school then will identify immediately with her worries and pressures from her peer group. The story has a couple of main threads running through it, which are nicely resolved at the end. Its an easy read, which moves along at a good pace, and the code breaking information keeps it from being a more run of the mill story about a girl who finds her role in life. 8/10 Quote
Scarlette Posted March 29, 2009 Posted March 29, 2009 I saw this book at a bookstore the other day. I haven't decided if I'd like to give the author another chance, though. I was very disappointed in her other novel, The End of Mr. Y. Will think about trying out PopCo, though... Quote
Lucybird Posted March 29, 2009 Posted March 29, 2009 This is on my wishlist after enjoying The End of Mr. Y but I've not bought it a few times because I didn't think the plot sounded as good as The End of Mr. Y, maybe I will reassess Quote
Nellie Posted March 29, 2009 Author Posted March 29, 2009 This is the first of her books that I have read. I though I might give The End of Mr Y a go soon. :-) Quote
Janet Posted March 29, 2009 Posted March 29, 2009 I loved Mr Y, but like Lucybird, I wasn't sure about this one. I shall have to go and look again and try the first chapter! Quote
Nollaig Posted March 29, 2009 Posted March 29, 2009 Code breaking skills learned from her grandparents? Da Vinci Code much? Still, I like the idea. Might check it out. Quote
Nellie Posted March 30, 2009 Author Posted March 30, 2009 Code breaking skills learned from her grandparents? Da Vinci Code much? Still, I like the idea. Might check it out. It's a long way from the Da Vinci code. For a start it's well written and has a decent plot! The code breaking is slightly incidental to the story. As I said, there is one plot line about some code breaking her grandfather did and how she deals with the clues he left her, and also another about... The dullness of life in corporations and anti-corproate feeling It's the latter which really interested me. Quote
Nollaig Posted March 30, 2009 Posted March 30, 2009 I like the Da Vinci Code! Then again, I'd like any conspiracy thriller, no matter how badly written, they're a guilty pleasure! Quote
Nellie Posted March 30, 2009 Author Posted March 30, 2009 I like the Da Vinci Code! Then again, I'd like any conspiracy thriller, no matter how badly written, they're a guilty pleasure! Ha ha!! I hated the writing and thought the plot was dreadful, but still read it to the end! Quote
Lucybird Posted March 30, 2009 Posted March 30, 2009 I am the same about the Di Vinci Code, it kind of carries so you want to know what will happen, but it's not a great book Quote
poppyshake Posted August 14, 2009 Posted August 14, 2009 I saw this book at a bookstore the other day. I haven't decided if I'd like to give the author another chance, though. I was very disappointed in her other novel, The End of Mr. Y. Will think about trying out PopCo, though... Snap .. I loved the beginning of 'the End of Mr Y' but was so disappointed by the final third of the book but still I bought 'Popco' (must be those gorgeous covers!) and it's sat on my bookshelf ever since. I must get around to giving it a go. Quote
Nollaig Posted July 1, 2010 Posted July 1, 2010 Finally got a hold of this book and am getting through it quite steadily.... only downside is the narrator tends to go off on tangents a lot and she hasn't made me care about her or her company enough yet to be doing that. Also, in an attempt to use videogaming terms, she just referred to her 'life-meter'. I'm pretty certain there are no self-respecting games out that that refer to their health/power meters (or HP - hit points - as everyone calls it) as 'life-meters'. Little details like that annoy me - if you try to incorporate something, do it right. Quote
Nollaig Posted July 1, 2010 Posted July 1, 2010 Yeah I can't put it down either. I think Peacefield is reading it too. It's definitely getting better, but I don't like Ester. I like Dan and Alice. I also love the code-cracking aspect of it though, and I love that Thomas clearly researches what she writes about and is generally an intelligent person (that was also obvious in The End Of Mr. Y.) Quote
pickle Posted July 1, 2010 Posted July 1, 2010 Glad you are enjoyng it I did prefer it to The End of Mr Y I have been tempted to buy her new one mainly because I like the cover design and of course because the story sounds intruiging Quote
Nollaig Posted July 1, 2010 Posted July 1, 2010 I won't prefer this to Mr. Y simply because I adored the subject matter and various theories of physics in it, but if I like it anywhere near as much it'll be doing better than most! Quote
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