A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor by Hank GreenMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
Jacket Blurb: 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?
Read for September book group.
Book two in the Carls, or, really book two in the April May Saga. Because this is ultimately all about April May. I noted in my review of An Absolutely Remarkable Thing that there I had enough interest in the supporting characters to read this book. And I enjoyed reading Maya, Miranda, and Andy's perspective. I was disappointed there wasn't more Robin, and after a few chapters with Carl, I completely skipped those.
I continued to agree with the author's observations on what can happen - is happening - with social media. Scary shit when you stop to think about it and yet, we keep using it anyway and then wonder why things aren't getting better. Miranda's thread was perhaps the most interesting with a wonderful twist I should have seen coming and totally missed. I found the ending anti climatic. April May was made into a Very Special Snowflake, kicked some ass, apologized to her girl friend, and everyone lives mostly happily ever after. Meh.
My opinion is still middle of the road - I enjoyed everyone but April May, the authors message about social media and the media is definitely notable, the overall plot was a bit slow (I admit to skipping bits). I'm glad this was a book group selection because we had some differing opinions and that always makes for interesting discussion.
Again - this is one you'll have to read and decide for yourself.
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