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An Absolutely Remarkable Thing

A Novel

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An Absolutely Remarkable Thing

Written by: Hank Green
Narrated by: Kristen Sieh, Hank Green
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About this listen

 THE INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

“Sparkling with mystery, humor and the uncanny, this is a fun read. But beneath its effervescent tone, more complex themes are at play.” —San Francisco Chronicle

In his wildly entertaining debut novel, Hank Green—cocreator of Crash Course, Vlogbrothers, and SciShow—spins a sweeping, cinematic tale about a young woman who becomes an overnight celebrity before realizing she's part of something bigger, and stranger, than anyone could have possibly imagined.

The Carls just appeared.

Roaming through New York City at three a.m., twenty-three-year-old April May stumbles across a giant sculpture. Delighted by its appearance and craftsmanship—like a ten-foot-tall Transformer wearing a suit of samurai armor—April and her best friend, Andy, make a video with it, which Andy uploads to YouTube. The next day, April wakes up to a viral video and a new life. News quickly spreads that there are Carls in dozens of cities around the world—from Beijing to Buenos Aires—and April, as their first documentarian, finds herself at the center of an intense international media spotlight.

Seizing the opportunity to make her mark on the world, April now has to deal with the consequences her new particular brand of fame has on her relationships, her safety, and her own identity. And all eyes are on April to figure out not just what the Carls are, but what they want from us.

Compulsively entertaining and powerfully relevant, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing grapples with big themes, including how the social internet is changing fame, rhetoric, and radicalization; how our culture deals with fear and uncertainty; and how vilification and adoration spring for the same dehumanization that follows a life in the public eye. The beginning of an exciting fiction career, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing is a bold and insightful novel of now. Adventure Coming of Age Fantasy Fiction Genre Fiction Science Fiction
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I loved it and could not stop listening to it. It was interesting, April is a complicated and believable character.

Amazing story!

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Wonderfully, painfully, important and timely. Vastly different from John Green's works, in case you're wondering. I initially didn't prefer the narrator but very quickly warmed up to Kristen; she was the perfect voice of April May, and while the overall performance maybe wasn't astonishing, it was definitely appropriate, satisfactory, and emotional. The story is utopian as much as dystopian—much like the current era. The characters are gut-wrenchingly honest reflections of the human condition: relatable, likeable, UN-likable, complex, and HUMAN, with both depth and development. The book is an unflinching analysis of the internet era and its implications, both good and bad. For fans of... digital life, coming of age, aliens, art, humanity, existentialism, and life in general. If you liked Ready Player One, you should also enjoy this. A beautiful, remarkable debut from Hank; every second was worth my attention.

A reflection of the times

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which made the ending that much more frustrating. we know from the beginning that she dies and Carl saves her. I spent the book waiting to find out how those two things happened. the first bit sets up the second nicely, but then... no second bit. I get the appeal of the inception ending for the author, and I love Hank, but the things I want to say about the ending are mean. I really enjoyed the book, but now I don't think I would recommend it. the clear demonization of people with different political leanings was easy to ignore as I plowed my way through, but it's really not nuanced at all the way I always hope vlogbrothers will eventually become.

I couldn't stop listening

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I read both books in less than a week and I am obsessed. I already went to reread them it’s not funny.

New obsession

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I honestly had no idea what to expect. It turned out to be incredibly enjoyable. The characters have depth, the plot is awesome, and I'm just really happy that I took a chance on this one.

Really enjoyed this one

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