PopCo
 | |
| Author | Scarlett Thomas |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Novel |
| Publisher | Harper Perennial |
Publication date | 2004 |
| Publication place | Great Britain |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 452 pp |
| ISBN | 1-84115-764-3 |
| OCLC | 59355647 |
PopCo is a 2004 novel by British author Scarlett Thomas. The book addresses several mathematical topics.[1][2]
Plot
[edit]It tells a story of twenty-nine-year-old Alice Butler, a quirky, fiercely intelligent loner with an affinity for secret codes and mathematics. She works for the huge toy company named PopCo, where she creates snooping kids' kits - KidSpy, KidTec and KidCracker. At the company conference Alice and her colleagues are brought into developing the ultimate product for the teenage girls.
Reception
[edit]The novel has been compared to Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson, with similarities including a buried treasure subplot and flashbacks to Bletchley Park.[citation needed]
A review in the journal of the American Mathematical Society praised its "subversive and lively style".[2] A review in The Independent praised "the weight of ideas and downright chutzpah crammed into this book."[3] Another review in The Independent described it as "a big, zeitgeisty novel that free-associates in the way that only cyberpunk science-fiction used to be able to do. It is such enormous fun, and so peppered with sharp observations and satirical jabs, that it gets away with editorialising patches [and] a certain hastiness of composition".[4] A review in The Guardian described it as "awkward" but ultimately enjoyable.[5]
However, another review in The Guardian found it "clumsy", writing "Thomas cannot decide whether she is writing a boarding-school adventure or a dystopic tale of global corporations."[1] A review in the Daily Telegraph wrote "its adolescent earnestness and its morally fibrous manifesto can make for queasy reading."[6]
PopCo was a 2004 book of the year in Time Out and The Independent on Sunday.[citation needed]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Montgomery, Isobel (28 August 2004). "Fiction: Aug 28". the Guardian. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
- ^ a b Kasman, Alex (February 2006). "Book review" (PDF). Notices of the American Mathematical Society: 215–217. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
- ^ House, Christian (22 August 2004). "PopCo by Scarlett Thomas". The Independent. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
- ^ Newman, Kim (16 August 2004). "PopCo, by Scarlett Thomas". The Independent. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
- ^ Phillips, Charlie (17 August 2016). "Books to give you hope: PopCo by Scarlett Thomas". the Guardian. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
- ^ Cross, Stephanie (4 September 2005). "Paperbacks". www.telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
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