A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-08-08 08:51:08
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Hank Green
- ISBN：1473224241
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Summary
April May and the Carls are back in the much-anticipated sequel to Hank Green's #1 New York Times bestselling debut novel， An Absolutely Remarkable Thing。
The Carls disappeared the same way they appeared， in an instant。 While they were on Earth， they caused confusion and destruction without ever lifting a finger。 Well， that’s not exactly true。 Part of their maelstrom was the sudden viral fame and untimely death of April May: a young woman who stumbled into Carl’s path， giving them their name， becoming their advocate， and putting herself in the middle of an avalanche of conspiracy theories。
Months later， the world is as confused as ever。 Andy has picked up April’s mantle of fame， speaking at conferences and online about the world post-Carl; Maya， ravaged by grief， begins to follow a string of mysteries that she is convinced will lead her to April; and Miranda infiltrates a new scientific operation 。 。 。 one that might have repercussions beyond anyone’s comprehension。
As they each get further down their own paths， a series of clues arrive—mysterious books that seem to predict the future and control the actions of their readers; unexplained internet outages; and more—which seem to suggest April may be very much alive。 In the midst of the gang's possible reunion is a growing force， something that wants to capture our consciousness and even control our reality。
A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor is the bold and brilliant follow-up to An Absolutely Remarkable Thing。 It’s a fast-paced adventure that is also a biting social commentary， asking hard， urgent questions。 How will we live online？ What powers over our lives are we giving away for free？ Who has the right to change the world forever？ And how do we find comfort in an increasingly isolated world？
The Carls disappeared the same way they appeared， in an instant。 While they were on Earth， they caused confusion and destruction without ever lifting a finger。 Well， that’s not exactly true。 Part of their maelstrom was the sudden viral fame and untimely death of April May: a young woman who stumbled into Carl’s path， giving them their name， becoming their advocate， and putting herself in the middle of an avalanche of conspiracy theories。
Months later， the world is as confused as ever。 Andy has picked up April’s mantle of fame， speaking at conferences and online about the world post-Carl; Maya， ravaged by grief， begins to follow a string of mysteries that she is convinced will lead her to April; and Miranda infiltrates a new scientific operation 。 。 。 one that might have repercussions beyond anyone’s comprehension。
As they each get further down their own paths， a series of clues arrive—mysterious books that seem to predict the future and control the actions of their readers; unexplained internet outages; and more—which seem to suggest April may be very much alive。 In the midst of the gang's possible reunion is a growing force， something that wants to capture our consciousness and even control our reality。
A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor is the bold and brilliant follow-up to An Absolutely Remarkable Thing。 It’s a fast-paced adventure that is also a biting social commentary， asking hard， urgent questions。 How will we live online？ What powers over our lives are we giving away for free？ Who has the right to change the world forever？ And how do we find comfort in an increasingly isolated world？
Reviews
Ria Everly
，
Like all good science fiction， Hank Green’s “A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor” made me scared for the future of humanity。 I felt that the sequel was a lot better than the first book of this duology， “An Absolutely Remarkable Thing”。 Hank Green resolved one of my biggest issues with the first book: the sequel actually goes into the point of view of the side characters， like Maya， Miranda， Andy， and even Carl himself。The premise of this book is also much scarier to me than online radicalization， whi Like all good science fiction， Hank Green’s “A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor” made me scared for the future of humanity。 I felt that the sequel was a lot better than the first book of this duology， “An Absolutely Remarkable Thing”。 Hank Green resolved one of my biggest issues with the first book: the sequel actually goes into the point of view of the side characters， like Maya， Miranda， Andy， and even Carl himself。The premise of this book is also much scarier to me than online radicalization， which might be a personal logical flaw， but the plot here did feel a lot more compelling。 。。。more
Miss Newbold
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A good end to a story that makes us question our place in humanity。
Anthony Tresca
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Hank Green， you beautiful boi， you've done it again！ This truly was a beautifully foolish reading endeavor :） Loved the themes of celebritiy。 social media， and power。 The multiple POV was a nice touch that really allowed the reader to understand and connect with a variety of characters in a unique manner。 Hank Green， you beautiful boi， you've done it again！ This truly was a beautifully foolish reading endeavor :） Loved the themes of celebritiy。 social media， and power。 The multiple POV was a nice touch that really allowed the reader to understand and connect with a variety of characters in a unique manner。 。。。more
Claudia Verónica
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3。5
Dylan Khangsar
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Wow。 Wait this book was really good。 It definitely took me a while。 I really loved the different POVs， it really made me love literally all the characters even more。 This book obviously was made by the genius himself Hank Green so I knew all of the takes that the characters made on society would be good and thought provoking— which they were。 I loved the multitude of tasks， careers， and mindsets。 It is very ominous towards how society is today， and how susceptible and vulnerable we are to change Wow。 Wait this book was really good。 It definitely took me a while。 I really loved the different POVs， it really made me love literally all the characters even more。 This book obviously was made by the genius himself Hank Green so I knew all of the takes that the characters made on society would be good and thought provoking— which they were。 I loved the multitude of tasks， careers， and mindsets。 It is very ominous towards how society is today， and how susceptible and vulnerable we are to change。 But， nonetheless， LOVED this series， the characters， and the plot。 Also love that the writer helped me in Honors Biology my Freshman year 😙 。。。more
Ryan
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Read out of order but liked it anyway！
Sydney Schroeder
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*4。5/5。 this series really took me by surprise and i ended up loving it！！！ new found appreciation for being one small little human on this planet （-:
Julian Lanza
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Plot-wise this book picks up right where An Absolutely Remarkable Thing leaves off。 Told from the pints of view of multiple characters telling their story after the events of the first book。 The characters are fun and unique and flawed。 This book does a really good job of making one understand how an unlikable person can still be liked by so many others。 The world building just drops you right in from where the first book leaves off and expands upon the intelligence behind the scenes， manipulati Plot-wise this book picks up right where An Absolutely Remarkable Thing leaves off。 Told from the pints of view of multiple characters telling their story after the events of the first book。 The characters are fun and unique and flawed。 This book does a really good job of making one understand how an unlikable person can still be liked by so many others。 The world building just drops you right in from where the first book leaves off and expands upon the intelligence behind the scenes， manipulating this world。 Overall， I had a blast with this book。 It is a fun read and has a lot of really interesting things to say on internet culture and addiction to technology。 I found the MacGuffin to overall be a bit of a let down。 Still really loved the story and how it was told and layered the plot from each character's perspective。 。。。more
Ben
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A nice follow-up and conclusion to the first in the series， and while it got a little tedious in the middle， it came together well at the end。 And Hank Green's insight and messaging， particular related to the power of influence and the pull of adoration and approval from others within the nutso world of social media and the internet， is on point and really impactful。 A nice follow-up and conclusion to the first in the series， and while it got a little tedious in the middle， it came together well at the end。 And Hank Green's insight and messaging， particular related to the power of influence and the pull of adoration and approval from others within the nutso world of social media and the internet， is on point and really impactful。 。。。more
Dan
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Finding time to read has been hard lately， and I've put down several books that I just couldn't enthusiastically continue。 But the two-book "Carls" series from Hank Green was exactly what I needed: fresh， fun， light， fast-paced， and yet - still plenty of insightful topical commentary and pseudo-intellectual optimism to set it apart from the crowd。 What seemed like it might be a classical "first contact" sci-fi story had plenty to say on the state of the world through the lens of social media and Finding time to read has been hard lately， and I've put down several books that I just couldn't enthusiastically continue。 But the two-book "Carls" series from Hank Green was exactly what I needed: fresh， fun， light， fast-paced， and yet - still plenty of insightful topical commentary and pseudo-intellectual optimism to set it apart from the crowd。 What seemed like it might be a classical "first contact" sci-fi story had plenty to say on the state of the world through the lens of social media and technology in a disconnected age。 A fun ride。 。。。more
Bridget
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This is an amazing sequel which beautifully builds off the new original story， while also adding new and interesting social commentary。 I love the depth to which we get to explore the different characters and found it very hard to put down。
Imke
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More like a 3。5！！ I have so many feelings about this book！！ At times I was annoyed and telling myself that this is why I don’t typically enjoy sci-fi （also the Americentrism of it all didn’t help）， but then there were also some complicated topics being discussed in beautifully nuanced ways and I loved it。 The ending was great and at that point I was completely enthralled by the story telling。 Some parts were dryer than others （and required more of my smooth little brain’s power to be understood More like a 3。5！！ I have so many feelings about this book！！ At times I was annoyed and telling myself that this is why I don’t typically enjoy sci-fi （also the Americentrism of it all didn’t help）， but then there were also some complicated topics being discussed in beautifully nuanced ways and I loved it。 The ending was great and at that point I was completely enthralled by the story telling。 Some parts were dryer than others （and required more of my smooth little brain’s power to be understood fully） but generally， I went through this book quite fast， especially for it being such a chunky one。 I would recommend this to someone who enjoys plot-driven stories， but also complex discussions about humanity， morality， and power。 Definitely worth reading after part one as well， it pays of to get the full scope of the story！Also all the love for Hank Green <3 。。。more
Reese Schwank
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3。5
Megan Fisher
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You know that overflowing of excitement you get at the climax of an excellent sci-fi/fantasy book。 When the protagonist is on the cusp of something great？ That indescribable feeling that you likely felt the first time you read Harry Potter。 This book has that。 And so much more。
Dagmar
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This duology is bizarre。 Completely and utterly bizarre It's also pretty greatI just don't think I'll ever read anything like this again It was well constructed， it told me what I needed to know in regards to certain subjects， and it was a fun read。 It was sci-fi but it was also not quite overal， I'd say this duology is quite the remarkable thing This duology is bizarre。 Completely and utterly bizarre It's also pretty greatI just don't think I'll ever read anything like this again It was well constructed， it told me what I needed to know in regards to certain subjects， and it was a fun read。 It was sci-fi but it was also not quite overal， I'd say this duology is quite the remarkable thing 。。。more
Cooper
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Hank Green has done it again。 This book was a phenomenal representation of humanity and an exploration into the death of our biggest fear: what if someone （or thing） is always watching。 I simply cannot get enough of Hank Green and he NEEDS to write another book sometime soon。
Books_and_Magick
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What I liked about this book: The characters are so real that you can almost forget the book is fiction for a second。 they grapple with emotions and choices that all of us face and they don't always do it gracefully。 What I enjoyed less about this book: That it is the end of the story and I won't be able to live with these characters any longer。 I would love to travel to new worlds with the Carls and learn more about them， where they come from and where they could go。 Overall impression: Awesome What I liked about this book: The characters are so real that you can almost forget the book is fiction for a second。 they grapple with emotions and choices that all of us face and they don't always do it gracefully。 What I enjoyed less about this book: That it is the end of the story and I won't be able to live with these characters any longer。 I would love to travel to new worlds with the Carls and learn more about them， where they come from and where they could go。 Overall impression: Awesome Sci-Fi story that tackles the reality of internet fame in today's world。 Highly recommend。 。。。more
Jen
，
So much of these two books felt more like a memoir tbh。 I guess it was fine and there were some interesting ideas but the main plot has been done before and better and that ending was meh。 This is supposed to be a sci-fi but if anything it's more about fame， dealing with fame and having an audience and cultivating social media presence which aren't things I care about。Summary: April's friends are adrift after she's died and then it turns out she hasn't really died and her and her friends need to So much of these two books felt more like a memoir tbh。 I guess it was fine and there were some interesting ideas but the main plot has been done before and better and that ending was meh。 This is supposed to be a sci-fi but if anything it's more about fame， dealing with fame and having an audience and cultivating social media presence which aren't things I care about。Summary: April's friends are adrift after she's died and then it turns out she hasn't really died and her and her friends need to stop a new virtual reality system from becoming a monopoly in random ways guided by Carl。 。。。more
Carolyn Antall
，
One of the few series that the sequel is as good as the first。 It’s fiction and sci-fi that bring to light so many errors and mistakes of the modern day。 It does a wonderful job of displaying how power and the internet and fame and humanity work in all their beautiful and terrible ways。 Like the book says， “Any good story is mind-altering。” （Plus so many more amazing quotes that I want to save for myself。）“The meaning of life is still， as it was， simply other people。 When we care for each other， One of the few series that the sequel is as good as the first。 It’s fiction and sci-fi that bring to light so many errors and mistakes of the modern day。 It does a wonderful job of displaying how power and the internet and fame and humanity work in all their beautiful and terrible ways。 Like the book says， “Any good story is mind-altering。” （Plus so many more amazing quotes that I want to save for myself。）“The meaning of life is still， as it was， simply other people。 When we care for each other， we are always in a place that matters。”“I think we’re all ultimately searching for normal but important。”“If you distribute a billion dollars across everyone in the US， each person would only get $3。”“I think part of the point of loving someone is being able to deal with their brokenness。”“I just want you to know that you people are wonderful and beautiful and terrible and foolish。” 。。。more
Kaylee Warren
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Such a lovely book， such a great sequel。 Wow。 Didn’t want it to end。
Nazanin
，
More like 3。5 stars。 I liked the first book much better but still LOVED the way Hank's mind works。 His views on everthing is always fascinating to me。 Long live the Green brothers 🌌 More like 3。5 stars。 I liked the first book much better but still LOVED the way Hank's mind works。 His views on everthing is always fascinating to me。 Long live the Green brothers 🌌 。。。more
Kay Holmberg
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Hank Green's world building （or perhaps universe building might be more correct） continues to delight me。 My only criticism for this book would be that I didn't feel that all the narrators had distinctly different voices。 I found myself forgetting who was telling the story。 Regardless， this second book is thrilling and ingenious。 A must read for any fiction lovers。 Hank Green's world building （or perhaps universe building might be more correct） continues to delight me。 My only criticism for this book would be that I didn't feel that all the narrators had distinctly different voices。 I found myself forgetting who was telling the story。 Regardless， this second book is thrilling and ingenious。 A must read for any fiction lovers。 。。。more
Elysa
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Great ending to a fantastic story。 The story is unique， and the characters are beautifully flawed。 There are so many great quotes in here， and the message of the book is spot on。
Sarah Channels
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if you’re reading this， please go back and read the first book and then this one。 it’s called “an absolutely remarkable thing”。 i know you will love it。 my favorite character is maya。 two quotes from this book happen towards the very end that really stuck with me and i want to share them。“I think part of the point of loving someone is being able to deal with their brokenness。” - Maya“Somehow she made me feel human， and that is， I’ve learned， one of the very best things to be。” - Aprilso， if you’ if you’re reading this， please go back and read the first book and then this one。 it’s called “an absolutely remarkable thing”。 i know you will love it。 my favorite character is maya。 two quotes from this book happen towards the very end that really stuck with me and i want to share them。“I think part of the point of loving someone is being able to deal with their brokenness。” - Maya“Somehow she made me feel human， and that is， I’ve learned， one of the very best things to be。” - Aprilso， if you’re reading this， especially now， please read the first book and then this one。 i know you’ll love it。 。。。more
Roxie
，
I had such a good time reading the Carl duology！ I have followed Hank Green for well over a decade and have always found his content engaging and thought provoking。 How can we as users make the most of our online enter interactions？ How can the CEOs of billion dollar companies work for the greater good of humanity？ Is money the most important thing in society？ The hell if I know！ But this made me think about it！！
Hannah
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Again， an incredibly clever and timely read。 I don't usually enjoy sci-fi as a genre but Hank Green has a way of making the subject matter very compelling and intertwined with modern societal thinking。 Again， an incredibly clever and timely read。 I don't usually enjoy sci-fi as a genre but Hank Green has a way of making the subject matter very compelling and intertwined with modern societal thinking。 。。。more
Steve
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I was looking forward to the second novel in The Carls series， but I found myself hearing too much of Hank Green's message to his readers instead of an entertainment。 I found that there was Just。 Too。 Much。 Emphasis。 throughout， making it more preachy than I expected。 I did enjoy the imagination and plotting， and the multi-lead character approach to telling the story。 I was looking forward to the second novel in The Carls series， but I found myself hearing too much of Hank Green's message to his readers instead of an entertainment。 I found that there was Just。 Too。 Much。 Emphasis。 throughout， making it more preachy than I expected。 I did enjoy the imagination and plotting， and the multi-lead character approach to telling the story。 。。。more
Neleigh J
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This book was so weird and wonderful and insightful。 I'm going to be thinking about it for a good while！ This book was so weird and wonderful and insightful。 I'm going to be thinking about it for a good while！ 。。。more
Sushant Joshi
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This was a great follow-up and in some ways， more mature and entertaining handling of the topics Hank broached in his first book （An Absolutely Remarkable Thing，）。
Caleb
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