A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor

By: Hank Green

Narrated by: Kristen Sieh, Joe Hempel, Jesse Vilinsky, Kevin R. Free, Nicole Lewis, Hank Green, Oliver Wyman, Robert Petkoff, Hillary Huber, P. J. Ochlan, Angelo Di Loreto, Gabra Zackman

Length: 15 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

The magnificent sequel to Hank Green's number one New York Times best-selling debut novel, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing

The statues disappeared in an instant. While they were on Earth, they caused confusion and destruction without ever lifting a finger. They also contributed to the untimely death of April May: a young woman who stumbled into their path, naming them the Carls and gaining viral fame in an avalanche of conspiracy theories.

When April's friends try to carry on with their lives, a series of clues arrive - mysterious books that seem to predict the future - and which also seem to suggest April may be very much alive...But there's a bigger mystery to solve.

Did the Carls ever really leave us, and what happens if they're here to stay?

A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor is a bold and brilliant conclusion that asks whether anyone has the right to change the world.

©2020 Hank Green (P)2020 Orion Publishing Group

Critic reviews

"A raucous, boldly inventive tale." (Booklist)

"Provides a "Black Mirror"-like warning of new technology without the heavy feeling of dread." (Usa Today)

Must listen for the social media age!

Funny, engaging and thought-provoking, this was very clearly written by someone who has been immersed in everything "online". This book feels like it contains a concentrated distillation of our times - or at least those times before things were disrupted - and it really felt like reading the perspectives of people from the present. The ideas raised are worth thinking about and this handles them well. The narration is excellent, even at irregular segments.

If you felt that in "An Absolutely Remarkable Thing" the more typically science fiction aspects could have been more prominent then you'll be glad to hear that there is plenty of that here. While the idea of fame and influence are still important here, "A Beautifully Foolish Endeavour" is more concerned with how systems organise power, influence and incentives. I'd say this is a somewhat more explicitly political book.

Characters we grew to know in the first book are now POV characters it feels immediately comfortable to be seeing through their eyes. Each of these characters feels like a person and a person that you know and like as the book proceeds. The April we see here is, understandably, changed but she still feels like herself.

Pacing was good throughout as mysteries, answers and obstacles keep appearing along the path. Ending felt less like a climax and more like a release. While this felt appropriate, it could maybe have had some elements ramped up a bit more - but that's a minor gripe.

Highly recommended.

I didn’t think it would get better, but it did.

Listening to this during the pandemic, was stressful and it filled me with hope. Man, I hope that hope is not misplaced.

I love both Hanks books.

A great follow-up

A great follow up to the first book, pickin up right where he left you in the first.

What an amazing book!!!

This is the first book that I finnished since lockdown started and I could not put it down. I would absolutely recommend it to everyone to read.

Thank You Hank!

Eerily reflective of modern society while posing important questions about what might come next, the actions we should take, and the possible effects those actions might have.

Fantastic book, and clearly a lot of thought has gone in to the narration.

fantastic tale!

what a beautifully remarkable second act. Plenty twist and turns and so very cleverly composed.

Such a beautiful book

Made sneaking my earpods into work 100% worth it! The narration was wonderful, I loved the different narrators. I enjoyed the plot and themes, it was my first foray into modern science fiction and I'm already on the search for more. Thank you Hank Green and all the brilliant narrators!

Just sit back and listen

clever
smart
too real
and beautiful
if you enjoyed the first one then listen to the second one.

A beautifully poignant critique of society

I absolutely loved this series, and I can’t believe I didn’t listen to it until now. Maybe I wasn’t ready yet. Maybe the book would only make the most impact on my life if I listened to it at this time. It has fundamentally changed how I see the world, and while I’d normally be quick to point out how flawed humans are, and how dangerous we are while we wield power, this series has given me some hope; even optimism.

I’m taking off one point from performance because I sometimes struggled to remember who was speaking; as some of the cast have very similar voices, though this was a very minor issue. Overall, it’s still a 5 star experience for me.

I also HAVE to give kudos to Hank for writing a non-binary character that felt entirely natural within a story. I don’t just mean that he chose his words right; he did, but that he wrote in a canonical explanation for the use of their pronouns that even made it sensible to people who don’t interact with non-binary folk, and then never mentioned it again! As soon as I noticed that’s what had happened, I literally shed a tear. Bravo!

I give A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor, and Hank Green, 5/5 stars

Great production and excellent narrators

I loved all the different narrators. The production value of this audiobook is really high, and I liked hearing from so many different characters and that they each have their own narrator. The story drew me in straight away and I loved seeing how Hank Green wrapped up April and Carl's story. Like the first book, it's really thought-provoking and makes some very insightful points about how social media and the internet have shaped our culture today.

The worst part of this audiobook was the conversation with Cory Doctorow at the end. I looked forward to hearing Hank's insights and thoughts about the book, but he barely spoke. It's not a conversation - Cory Doctorow barely gave the AUTHOR OF THE BOOK a moment to get a word in and speak about the book HE WROTE. It was like a 45-minute-long "this is more of a comment than a question" on the part of the interviewer. Super, super obnoxious.

it was phenomenal

"Power is just a lack of constraint."

honestly, based on what's happening around the world, we clearly need a super God Ai like Carl to save us all

This is awesome

I love this book! And thr first one in this series. It’s excellently narrated, has an intriguing plot, and is just impossible to turn off….which is ironically considering the book’s underlying message. Anyways, this book is thought-provoking in a way I haven’t experienced with a book in a long time. Please read it.

Thoughtful and compelling

A meaningful continuation of the original story, that I’m shocked I needed. I felt like the first book did itself justice, without the need for a second part but now I couldn’t imagine it any other way.

Thank you Hank Green, for changing my mind.

Incredibly interesting and satisfying sequel

I guess the main thing to say is that I just really love this book and I think you, whoever you are reading this review, should read it too. The themes of this book have never been more relevant and they make you think but without sacrificing any of the entertainment value and incredible character development. I think one of the things that makes Hank Green such a great author is that he really lives in the nuance. This is the kind of book where there is no “right answer” but gives you ways to think about the world and current / future technology and society. I know I’m going to think about this book for a long time.

All round brilliance

Not only was this a really compelling story that maintained the same tight pace as its predecessor, the performance by every voice actor was spot on down to the last detail. I particularly enjoyed the way each evoked the others' performances when retelling other characters' words. A really nice touch that shows the attention to detail that has gone into this audiobook.