Popco

Some other reviewers mentioned the meandering plot and it seemed to me to be an integral part of the story. At one point the narrator states that the rich don't read or finish books that don't have to do with 'moving cheese' or business tactics. It occurred to me that the first 4/5th's of the book are a test to see if you're sympathetic to the author's ideas. It is a very anti-corporate novel with all the monkey wrenching shown only at the end. The mystery code, while a major plot point, is really analogous to the search for the author's/narrator's point or goal for her life. The search for the answer to the code really being about the journey, not the discovery. Over all, a very wise novel and a lot less preachy than other books with the same ideals.

I loved this book. Besides enjoying books set in England and smart independent female protagonists, Thompson's book had so many elements I crave in a book; adventure, romance, philosphy. Books that make you think rock. I now question consumerism, traditional medicine, and our entire meat eating society. While I have made a few changes in my diet, if I finally make the radical shift to being a vegan, it will be a result of Thompson's convincing argument. I also really want to learn to play Go. I am happy for the final chapter but would still love to see the answers to the puzzle. I got a lot of it but not all.

Popco is an intriguing and intelligent novel that manages to present a smart, interesting and likeable heroine, several engaging plot lines, thought-provoking themes, and powerful writing. If you want a fast-paced action adventure story with lots of movement and dialogue, this isn't it. Instead, this story explores fascinating topics well and with depth, while keeping several mysteries humming along. Cryptology, the hierarchies of teen girls, marketing, virtual worlds, math, religion... this story touches on all of these topics and many more, but without being boring or trite. This novel is an excellent choice for anyone who wants to think about what they're reading.

One of the most interesting and intelligent books I've read in a long time, PopCo ties together its spiky protagonist Alice Butler's childhood as a junior cryptanalyst with her current job developing products for a massive toy conglomerate. As she wrestles with her latest corporate challenge--how to market toys to teenage girls--she reflects on the nature of codes, cryptanalysis, cryptography, buried treasure, the ethics of marketing, and veganism. This is definitely one of those books where you either read it and think it's an utter waste of time and mildly seditious, or you really wish the author was a friend of yours and you could call her up just to chat (to paraphrase Salinger).

PopCo brilliantly combines a fun, smart, quirky, yet realistic heroine; mathematical and cryptographical history; a tale of ominous modern marketing ploys that seems to be alarmingly accurate; and even a treasure hunt! Alice, the heroine, is surprisingly easy to warm up to, despite (or because of?) her odd and somewhat paranoid personality. The path that the book takes to the end, in which the reader gets to experience with Alice the awakenings that she has throughout the book, makes the conclusion, which may seem a little too canned otherwise, seem appropriate and not cheesy. The characters are fun to experience, because while they're all clearly hipper than average, they balance it out with a fair bit of geekiness. The best part of the book is that it's delivering a great message, although it's the kind of message with which a lot of readers will already be on board. To those readers, the appeal of the book (besides the captivating story, interesting subplots, and varied characters), is that in the process of delivering its message, it will make you feel like you're not alone. In the modern world of corporate branding, aggressive, sinister marketing, and massive consumerism, it can often feel as though no one else recognizes the evil effects these have on both society as a whole and on individuals. The book makes it apparent that there are many people who care about these issues, both in Scarlett Thomas' fictional world, and, by extension, in the real world as well.