What do you think?
Rate this book
Orla's Code
alternate cover edition for ISBN: 9781493727896
"If you want to get ahead, get noticed," is Orla Hanlon's motto. New to London and the first female programmer at CouperDaye, a global investment bank, she takes on a high-profile but controversial project.
With her new luxury apartment and a work-romance quietly on the side, Orla thinks she has everything under control.
Until a bug in her code causes chaos on the trading floor and Orla finds herself a scapegoat in a corporate game, fighting to save her new life in London.
"If you want to get ahead, get noticed," is Orla Hanlon's motto. New to London and the first female programmer at CouperDaye, a global investment bank, she takes on a high-profile but controversial project.
With her new luxury apartment and a work-romance quietly on the side, Orla thinks she has everything under control.
Until a bug in her code causes chaos on the trading floor and Orla finds herself a scapegoat in a corporate game, fighting to save her new life in London.
- GenresChick Lit
192 pages, Unknown Binding
First published March 20, 2013
2 people are currently reading
360 people want to read
About the author
Fiona Pearse
2 books19 followersFiona Pearse was born in Dublin, Ireland and has been a software developer for 15 years. Now living in London, she writes code by day and poetry and prose by night. Her day job inspired the award-nominated Orla's Code, and she has recently published a short novel called Beverly. Several of her poems are also published and can be found through her website. When she is not working or writing, she's enjoying the city and sometimes escaping it.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
February 4, 2014
A review copy was provided by the author in return for an honest review.
Woo new genre!? Tech-Lit! With Orla's Code, Fiona Pearse has kicked chick-lit into modern times, and boy did it need a good kicking!
Sometimes I get a little tired of reading novels about girls who are really only interested in shopping and fashion.
I'm a techie who throws on the first thing I find in the wardrobe. My gadgets are my first love! This is why I found this so refreshing.
It's a short read about a young woman named Orla who has recently moved to London to become couper-dayes first female programmer. Orla wants to get noticed and to do this she needs to take on a high profile project. It's risky but the pay off will be worth it. She'll have proved herself.
My one problem with this book was that I didn't have a clue what they were talking about for a lot of the book. The terminology went waaaay over my head! I should have read these first!:
If you happen to be into programming then you'll love this book. I found it really amusing that the office politics among the men were just as bad as any office full of women. Actually I think they're worse as most men will never admit they were wrong!
This book has left me wanting more. Even though I found it hard to understand what was happening I enjoyed it as now I really want to find out more about information technology. It's always great to find a book that makes you want to expand your knowledge!
June 23, 2014
This book was wonderful and an inspirational this book is for anyone how fights to stay on top and stop being the under dog as I said wonderful book to read could not put it down so with all that said keep smiling and happy reading to all with love from wee me. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
August 21, 2021
Awesome Indies Book Awards is pleased to include Orla’s Code by Fiona Pearse in the library of Awesome Indies Book Awards'
Badge of Approval
recipients.
Orla is a programmer. A senior programmer. She has talent, drive, and high hopes for a successful career, and her new job at CouperDaye, a trading firm, will, she thinks, get her where she wants to go. And then, of course, comes the predictable disaster. First, she makes mistakes, the mistakes we all make in an attempt to stay out of trouble or to keep our troubles from growing worse. But at last she stops, assesses her situation, faces facts with courage, and finds a way to recover her faith in herself, survive management incompetence, and save her career.
It is refreshing to read the story of a woman who takes her work seriously and whose first priority isn’t finding or keeping a romantic relationship. It’s especially refreshing to see a woman’s competence depicted in a field where few women compete. Some readers have complained about the jargon, both technical and financial, but for me it was a highlight. It established the author’s competence, and therefore Orla’s, while respecting the intelligence of the reader. I seldom see complaints about technical jargon in books by men. We accept it, whether we understand it or not, as part of the mystique of male-dominated endeavors.
Orla’s Code is well-written, with a fresh style, and subtle and insightful humor. Formatting and layout are also well done.
My only quibble with the story is that we don’t discover who Orla’s love interest is until the end of the book. It was not clear to me why the author saved this as a surprise, but other readers enjoyed it, so I register my response as a quibble rather than a complaint.
I hope we see more books like this—books that depict women taking their rightful place in the world, including the world of work.
Reviewed on behalf of the Awesome Indies
Orla is a programmer. A senior programmer. She has talent, drive, and high hopes for a successful career, and her new job at CouperDaye, a trading firm, will, she thinks, get her where she wants to go. And then, of course, comes the predictable disaster. First, she makes mistakes, the mistakes we all make in an attempt to stay out of trouble or to keep our troubles from growing worse. But at last she stops, assesses her situation, faces facts with courage, and finds a way to recover her faith in herself, survive management incompetence, and save her career.
It is refreshing to read the story of a woman who takes her work seriously and whose first priority isn’t finding or keeping a romantic relationship. It’s especially refreshing to see a woman’s competence depicted in a field where few women compete. Some readers have complained about the jargon, both technical and financial, but for me it was a highlight. It established the author’s competence, and therefore Orla’s, while respecting the intelligence of the reader. I seldom see complaints about technical jargon in books by men. We accept it, whether we understand it or not, as part of the mystique of male-dominated endeavors.
Orla’s Code is well-written, with a fresh style, and subtle and insightful humor. Formatting and layout are also well done.
My only quibble with the story is that we don’t discover who Orla’s love interest is until the end of the book. It was not clear to me why the author saved this as a surprise, but other readers enjoyed it, so I register my response as a quibble rather than a complaint.
I hope we see more books like this—books that depict women taking their rightful place in the world, including the world of work.
Reviewed on behalf of the Awesome Indies
March 4, 2014
As the first female computer programmer at her new employer, Orla has to deal with the obvious issue of being a novelty among her peers, along with some of the all-too-typical management issues and job challenges typically found in a software development shop. I was impressed with the author’s ability to communicate the challenges of Orla’s job without sinking into tech-talk or too much detail for the layperson.
Much of the story conflict comes from Orla’s struggle to balance her work goals, her personal life, and possibly sneak in a little sex (surely romance and a fuller relationship would be asking too much). Overall, Orla’s Code was a quick, fun read.
**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **
Much of the story conflict comes from Orla’s struggle to balance her work goals, her personal life, and possibly sneak in a little sex (surely romance and a fuller relationship would be asking too much). Overall, Orla’s Code was a quick, fun read.
**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **
March 4, 2014
Funny, smart and modern, this book is a fantastic read. The reader slides effortlessly into the life of Orla Hanlon and into that strange alien world of IT and Finance. Realistic and highly entertaining, we journey with Orla as she embarks on a new stage in her life, the story unfolding to reveal a web of big company politics and early stage romance. I loved, loved, loved the character of Orla. She is so authentic, there is a little bit of her in us all. I think this book is proof that the genre of chick lit has evolved to something more worthy than the description sometimes warrants.
November 16, 2013
This is a quick, fun, entertaining read. The writing is smooth, the characters are down to earth, and the office scenes anyone can relate to. The story is realistic - with a plot that unfolds between day to day vignettes from fixing up an apartment, joining a running club, flirting at parties, and craving a job change. I read it in one sitting, and look forward to Fiona's next book. Well done.
Tom M. author of www.roundwoodpress.com
Tom M. author of www.roundwoodpress.com
April 5, 2013
Funny, modern and slick. As a young person trying to work and live in London I identified with Orla a lot!!
July 6, 2013
This was more a three star book, but I bumped it up to four because of how it surprised me in the end. Rare to do such a thing, ha.
January 3, 2014
Although the combination is (hopefully) extreme examples, the office politics and misunderstandings of task complexity that thread this novel will be familiar to anyone who has worked in IT, or indeed any specialist role in a large company. This plausible yet not mundane feeling is equally present in the social plots that run in parallel to the horrors of work.
Driven by ambition and filled with talent, Orla Hanlon has moved to London and become the first female developer at a major investment bank. Given the opportunity to produce a major new project, she feels her career plans are going well, leaving time to find suitable friends, a permanent home, and maybe even a low-maintenance relationship. But computers and people are very different things: when her project fails spectacularly she finds herself the ideal scapegoat for the wider problems in IT; and as her career starts to fray, her social life follows.
Although this novel is relatively short (145 – 192 standard pages depending on edition), Pearse has skilfully intertwined several engaging plots, creating both the feeling of a complete life and constantly increasing drama.
The only potential issue is the level of jargon used in the work sections of the novel. Although it is lighter than level of technical language found in hard sci-fi, it might weaken the immersion for readers completely unfamiliar with IT projects.
Orla is a well-realised character, with a realistic mix of strengths and flaws. She is clearly both talented and ready to work hard to capitalise on it, so the reader genuinely wants her to succeed at work and hopes she will find a life outside it. However, she has also fallen back on her talent instead of developing wider life experience, preventing her from coming across as annoyingly perfect.
The main supporting characters similarly have a good balance of positive and negative qualities. Even where the reader is expected to dislike a character, they are shown to be people reacting to a difficult situation rather than a cut-out villain.
I liked this book, especially for the portrayal of bad management. I would recommend it to readers seeking a light yet still engaging few hours of entertainment.
Driven by ambition and filled with talent, Orla Hanlon has moved to London and become the first female developer at a major investment bank. Given the opportunity to produce a major new project, she feels her career plans are going well, leaving time to find suitable friends, a permanent home, and maybe even a low-maintenance relationship. But computers and people are very different things: when her project fails spectacularly she finds herself the ideal scapegoat for the wider problems in IT; and as her career starts to fray, her social life follows.
Although this novel is relatively short (145 – 192 standard pages depending on edition), Pearse has skilfully intertwined several engaging plots, creating both the feeling of a complete life and constantly increasing drama.
The only potential issue is the level of jargon used in the work sections of the novel. Although it is lighter than level of technical language found in hard sci-fi, it might weaken the immersion for readers completely unfamiliar with IT projects.
Orla is a well-realised character, with a realistic mix of strengths and flaws. She is clearly both talented and ready to work hard to capitalise on it, so the reader genuinely wants her to succeed at work and hopes she will find a life outside it. However, she has also fallen back on her talent instead of developing wider life experience, preventing her from coming across as annoyingly perfect.
The main supporting characters similarly have a good balance of positive and negative qualities. Even where the reader is expected to dislike a character, they are shown to be people reacting to a difficult situation rather than a cut-out villain.
I liked this book, especially for the portrayal of bad management. I would recommend it to readers seeking a light yet still engaging few hours of entertainment.
December 29, 2014
As someone who works in IT, I feel I have to comment on this extremely confusing work environment with lots of misunderstanding and blames throwing. Believe me, I experienced those all as well.
Sometimes in the development team, the lines are blurry between the programmer and the system analyst. Should have been different roles. Orla here is senior System Analyst, honestly, SA doesn't work on codes and SA doesn't even know how to program (well the SA in the software house I'm working that is and most companies in here), in here SA and BA (Business Analysts) are the same though it should be different because SA is clearly technical person that should know how to code unlike BA. So I wonder why on earth Orla works on code at first before I remember that she's SA not BA and that how it should be out there. Guess different country, different work culture, different definition, different lines. As I said, blurry. And I saw that the institution Orla worked was in finance, trading specifically. Uh and for IT people to hop from one to another place is very common here and in MONTHS only so Orla... is better than IT guys/girls here. No one cares how their CV look like with all the hopping. :D
From what I know about bank institution, every test is done with real data provided by the financial department and it could take very long. Well, my husband also works in IT and he works in a bank. I know more or less bout bank's IT. Every dev team should have a test team because admit it, programmers are bias. They know the loop holes so need others to see where it lacks.
Other than the IT environment related matters from this novels, and Orla's confusion and anger over the office's politic which I could sympathise, I've been wondering who Columbus is.
Overall, I like this novel because well, I'm an IT girl though I no longer do codes that often, especially not C++ but I can still understand this well. Well, C++ is a must in university especially for OOP. :D
.
.
.
And I finally got to know who Columbus is. ;)
Sometimes in the development team, the lines are blurry between the programmer and the system analyst. Should have been different roles. Orla here is senior System Analyst, honestly, SA doesn't work on codes and SA doesn't even know how to program (well the SA in the software house I'm working that is and most companies in here), in here SA and BA (Business Analysts) are the same though it should be different because SA is clearly technical person that should know how to code unlike BA. So I wonder why on earth Orla works on code at first before I remember that she's SA not BA and that how it should be out there. Guess different country, different work culture, different definition, different lines. As I said, blurry. And I saw that the institution Orla worked was in finance, trading specifically. Uh and for IT people to hop from one to another place is very common here and in MONTHS only so Orla... is better than IT guys/girls here. No one cares how their CV look like with all the hopping. :D
From what I know about bank institution, every test is done with real data provided by the financial department and it could take very long. Well, my husband also works in IT and he works in a bank. I know more or less bout bank's IT. Every dev team should have a test team because admit it, programmers are bias. They know the loop holes so need others to see where it lacks.
Other than the IT environment related matters from this novels, and Orla's confusion and anger over the office's politic which I could sympathise, I've been wondering who Columbus is.
Overall, I like this novel because well, I'm an IT girl though I no longer do codes that often, especially not C++ but I can still understand this well. Well, C++ is a must in university especially for OOP. :D
.
.
.
And I finally got to know who Columbus is. ;)
July 8, 2013
The I.T. girl follows hardworking, headstrong Irish Orla as she battles in her new role as a senior in CouperDaye. Numerous obstacles approach her and with her continuous strive for perfection and her need for everything done with her in control, she starts to wilt under the pressure. As the pressure takes hold it also takes hold of her non existing social life and her one chance of love.
I found the I.T. Girl extremely challenging. It is focused mainly on Orla's day job and is written in computer terms and references that I honestly couldn't understand. The majority of the book went over my head because of that. The plot to the book is good and I would have liked to see a lot more of Orla out of work as the times we see her in these situations are only short. I think if I knew a bit about whatever it is she did, then I would have enjoyed this book a lot. It has little parts which I liked and I was intrigued to find out who Columbus was. Overall it was OK.
If you like computers and I.T, codes and all that kinda stuff then this book is definitely for you.
3/5
I found the I.T. Girl extremely challenging. It is focused mainly on Orla's day job and is written in computer terms and references that I honestly couldn't understand. The majority of the book went over my head because of that. The plot to the book is good and I would have liked to see a lot more of Orla out of work as the times we see her in these situations are only short. I think if I knew a bit about whatever it is she did, then I would have enjoyed this book a lot. It has little parts which I liked and I was intrigued to find out who Columbus was. Overall it was OK.
If you like computers and I.T, codes and all that kinda stuff then this book is definitely for you.
3/5
August 25, 2014
A beautifully written novella describing one woman's journey through the male dominated world of software programming in the City of London, Orla's code is written with wit, humanity and careful observation. It keeps the reader guessing and is entertaining to the end.
January 21, 2015
I did enjoy the book, but I think the story needs fleshing out. It had a lot of unrealized potential.
You can read my full review at my blog.
You can read my full review at my blog.
April 22, 2014
I won this book from Goodreads First Reads. It had a decent story line, and a neat twist at the end with the identity of the guy Orla is in a casual relationship with. Good book overall.
Currently reading
May 26, 2019atrawym@gmail.com
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews