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"In his much-anticipated 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. Coming home from work 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 show more Transformer wearing a suit of samurai armor--April and her 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--everywhere from Beijing to Buenos Aires--and April, as their first documentarian, finds herself at the center of an intense international media spotlight. Now April has to deal with the pressure on her relationships, her identity, and her safety that this new position brings, all while being on the front lines of the quest to find 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 from the same dehumanization that follows a life in the public eye"-- show lessTags
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by anonymous user
Waterbuggg Both books feature a small group of young adults trying to solve a mystery. They both have funny parts but also deal with serious issues surrounding identity and have a bit of violence.
Member Reviews
Hank Green’s An Absolutely Remarkable Thing tells the story of April May, a twenty-three-year-old with a background in design, who finds a giant robot statue at 3AM in New York City. She dubs it Carl and with her friend Andy Skampt, they film it and go viral. Other people around the world realize that there are 63 other Carls, which no one can explain. April and Andy, together with her girlfriend Maya, a materials scientist named Miranda Beckwith, and their publicist/friend, Robin, begin to look into the mystery of the Carls and the strange dreams they cause, leading them to conclude that the statues are from another planet.
As much as Green’s work is science-fiction, it’s also an insightful look into modern social media and its show more affect on culture. Green writes (via April), “I’m honestly worried, because I think we’re just starting to get used to the impact that the social internet is having on us culturally and emotionally and socially. It wasn’t exactly bringing us together before this, right? But now I’m worried we have this whole other massive change to get used to. If we keep driving wedges, if we keep getting more and more scared…” (pg. 165). He, again through April, posits that people can react with fear or hostility to things they don’t understand, or, echoing the optimism in the face of adversity that characterizes the millennial generation, they can work together to fix the problems. Green writes, “It’s so much easier for people to get excited about disliking something than agreeing to like it. The circle jerk of mockery and self-congratulation was so intense I didn’t even notice I was at its center. It was so easy to get people to follow me, and in the end, that’s what I wanted” (pg. 214). In this, he warns of the dangers of going viral and the double-edged sword of suddenly finding oneself with a platform while also commenting on how the social internet replicates the partisan nature of the world to its most extreme extent.
Both funny and thoughtful, Green’s debut novel examines many of the issues he’s discussed through his own online platforms with the same authenticity he’s cultivated. April is a flawed protagonist, but one with whom readers with experience of social media’s impact on everyday life will easily relate. Various psychologists, such as Albright College professor Dr. Gwendolyn Seidman, have commented on the way “likes” affect psychological well-being, though Green’s novel uses the tropes of science-fiction to portray this phenomenon in a very human manner. A must-read for all who came of age with the Internet. show less
As much as Green’s work is science-fiction, it’s also an insightful look into modern social media and its show more affect on culture. Green writes (via April), “I’m honestly worried, because I think we’re just starting to get used to the impact that the social internet is having on us culturally and emotionally and socially. It wasn’t exactly bringing us together before this, right? But now I’m worried we have this whole other massive change to get used to. If we keep driving wedges, if we keep getting more and more scared…” (pg. 165). He, again through April, posits that people can react with fear or hostility to things they don’t understand, or, echoing the optimism in the face of adversity that characterizes the millennial generation, they can work together to fix the problems. Green writes, “It’s so much easier for people to get excited about disliking something than agreeing to like it. The circle jerk of mockery and self-congratulation was so intense I didn’t even notice I was at its center. It was so easy to get people to follow me, and in the end, that’s what I wanted” (pg. 214). In this, he warns of the dangers of going viral and the double-edged sword of suddenly finding oneself with a platform while also commenting on how the social internet replicates the partisan nature of the world to its most extreme extent.
Both funny and thoughtful, Green’s debut novel examines many of the issues he’s discussed through his own online platforms with the same authenticity he’s cultivated. April is a flawed protagonist, but one with whom readers with experience of social media’s impact on everyday life will easily relate. Various psychologists, such as Albright College professor Dr. Gwendolyn Seidman, have commented on the way “likes” affect psychological well-being, though Green’s novel uses the tropes of science-fiction to portray this phenomenon in a very human manner. A must-read for all who came of age with the Internet. show less
Reread February 2018: I LOVED IT SO MUCH. NOTHING HAS CHANGED. I LOOOOOOOVE IT. I read the last 60 pages of this while watching Bohemian Rhapsody which seemed very fitting.
OH MY GOD.
I JUST FINISHED THE BOOK AND I HAVE TEARS IN MY EYES AND I AM CHOKED UP BECAUSE OF HOW MUCH I LOVED THIS BOOK. YES, I HAVE TO YELL. AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!
This is 100% my favorite book of the year and one of my favorites of all time. ALL TIME.
This is an EXTREMELY long review. To sum it up, I absolutely loved this book with my entire heart and soul and I want everyone to read it.
I picked this up from the library because I saw it while I was walking to get something else and I was curious how Hank was going to write. I know that for a vast majority of books, show more you shouldn't base your possible liking of the book on your thoughts on the author. I felt it hard not to initially feel this way about Hank writing a book. Now, don't get me wrong. I don't dislike Hank. My only thoughts on Hank come from when I was younger, and I religiously watched Vlogbrothers. Hank wasn't my favorite. I believe teenage me found him annoying and pretentious.Does 23 year old me feel the same? Nope! Now he's just Hank Green. I know who he is and that's the end of it. These are generally things I do not put on the internet because they're not the nicest things but I want to be 1000% transparent with how I went into this book. I believe that makes how I came out of it all the more genuine. So, I went into this book not expecting to love it, not expecting much at all, all because I couldn't put my feelings aside and I came out with one of my favorite books of all time. So here is my formal apology to Hank Green: I apologize. DEEPLY.
I did pick this up from the library and I started tabbing it for review, like I do with most books. 80 pages in, everything felt magical. I knew I was reading something that was going to be monumental for me and my reading experience. I've never loved a book so much that while I was reading it, I wanted to run around and tell everyone to read it right then. I think at page 112, I had already tabbed it 31 times. I went through two and a half packages of blue tabs.
I finished the book (literally 15 minutes ago) and immediately purchased the book. I closed the book and sat with it in silence for about a minute while I teared up and just felt what I had read. I then opened my laptop and bought the book so I can move all of my tabs over into my own personal copy. I initially bought it on Amazon but halfway through writing my review, I cancelled that order and ordered it for Barnes and Noble store pickup so I can have it in my hands today. That's how much I loved this book. I'm already anticipating rereading the book so I can underline and annotate to my heart's desire.
Before I go into depth, I only have one minor complaint. April said she was "snarky" a few times and I felt it was unnecessary because we could see her being snarky and I didn't need it described to me. That is literally my only issue with this book.
The plot is so well constructed. We are given so much information throughout the book but nothing felt overwhelming or infodumpy. Each piece of information felt natural and when things were explained, I understood them. There was a lot of scientific and mathematical information that gets presented to you, but everything is written in a way that you can understand it and it doesn't come with that barrier that I sometimes encounter when reading science fiction. This book makes important points that relate to society, gender, sexuality, race, and humanity as a whole. Everything felt natural and felt like it came at the time it needed to come. Nothing felt forced.
I absolutely loved the characters. April May was phenomenal. She was snarky, she was funny, she was relatable. I felt so connected to her in every way. I'm so happy I got to read about a 23 year old while I am 23. I feel like I've never read from a character who is the same age as me. She did and said unbelievable things but none of it was unbelievable. She was so incredibly self-aware. She did things she shouldn't and she reflected on that. Her journey was so emotional and I am so happy I got to experience this alongside April. April is bisexual and it is never an issue for her. It is a part of who she is, who she has always been and who she is always going to be. It was not a plot point. It was just a fact about April. As someone who also isn't straight, each part of the plot that touched on her sexuality hit so deeply for me. At one point, I was so heated I got up from reading and had to go speak to someone about what April had experienced or I would have given in to the urge to whip the book across the room. "Sexuality is complicated and fluid."Yes. Yes. Yes. A million times yes. April spoke about how she believed, or wanted to believe, that she lived in a bubble world unaffected by things that happened on cable news. She spoke about how she'd be living her normal life, being inside of her the way she had always been and then remember it wasn't that way anymore. She spoke about how she felt about herself and how she experienced others liking her and wanting to be with her. I have never related to a character more than I have related to April and I feel so understood and so seen with this novel.
April's relationships with Andy and Maya were so beautiful and so human. Maya was the person who would call April on her bullshit when no one else would and it was so incredibly refreshing. I wish we had seen more of Maya and expanded on her character more but given the circumstances, it was clear why we didn't. April and Andy were such good friends and you got to see how their relationship developed from being friends to being friends who had discovered something amazing, friends who had entered the spotlight together, friends who were heavily different yet remained close, and friends who had begun to craft April's public identity together.
As the book progresses, we are introduced to Robin, Miranda, Jennifer Putnam, Peter Petrawicki, April's parents, and a multitude of others. Robin and Miranda are who we get to see develop the most because they join our main team of characters. They are both absolutely wonderful and I loved seeing their contribution to April and the mystery of the Carls.
This book was SO FUNNY. It's rare I read books that have a large focus on humor and usually when humor is introduced in a book, it's not incredibly funny to me. Boy was this book different. There were multiple points where I was laughing out loud reading and it was so wonderful.
I did not know going into this book that it was part of a duology. I did find out around page 80 that it was. At page 80, I was just excited that I looked up everyone's reviews for fun and someone had mentioned that it was a duology! Knowing that, I lessened my expectations that everything was going to be wrapped up neatly with a bow. The ending is so great. It's SO GREAT. I'm so happy that this is a duology and that at some point, I'm going to get another story in this world with these characters.
I've exhausted everything I can say intellectually about this book. Everything else I have is just a million exclamation points climbing up my throat to escape my mouth and let the world know how I feel. I absolutely loved it and I think it's something everyone should pick up. show less
OH MY GOD.
I JUST FINISHED THE BOOK AND I HAVE TEARS IN MY EYES AND I AM CHOKED UP BECAUSE OF HOW MUCH I LOVED THIS BOOK. YES, I HAVE TO YELL. AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!
This is 100% my favorite book of the year and one of my favorites of all time. ALL TIME.
This is an EXTREMELY long review. To sum it up, I absolutely loved this book with my entire heart and soul and I want everyone to read it.
I picked this up from the library because I saw it while I was walking to get something else and I was curious how Hank was going to write. I know that for a vast majority of books, show more you shouldn't base your possible liking of the book on your thoughts on the author. I felt it hard not to initially feel this way about Hank writing a book. Now, don't get me wrong. I don't dislike Hank. My only thoughts on Hank come from when I was younger, and I religiously watched Vlogbrothers. Hank wasn't my favorite. I believe teenage me found him annoying and pretentious.Does 23 year old me feel the same? Nope! Now he's just Hank Green. I know who he is and that's the end of it. These are generally things I do not put on the internet because they're not the nicest things but I want to be 1000% transparent with how I went into this book. I believe that makes how I came out of it all the more genuine. So, I went into this book not expecting to love it, not expecting much at all, all because I couldn't put my feelings aside and I came out with one of my favorite books of all time. So here is my formal apology to Hank Green: I apologize. DEEPLY.
I did pick this up from the library and I started tabbing it for review, like I do with most books. 80 pages in, everything felt magical. I knew I was reading something that was going to be monumental for me and my reading experience. I've never loved a book so much that while I was reading it, I wanted to run around and tell everyone to read it right then. I think at page 112, I had already tabbed it 31 times. I went through two and a half packages of blue tabs.
I finished the book (literally 15 minutes ago) and immediately purchased the book. I closed the book and sat with it in silence for about a minute while I teared up and just felt what I had read. I then opened my laptop and bought the book so I can move all of my tabs over into my own personal copy. I initially bought it on Amazon but halfway through writing my review, I cancelled that order and ordered it for Barnes and Noble store pickup so I can have it in my hands today. That's how much I loved this book. I'm already anticipating rereading the book so I can underline and annotate to my heart's desire.
Before I go into depth, I only have one minor complaint. April said she was "snarky" a few times and I felt it was unnecessary because we could see her being snarky and I didn't need it described to me. That is literally my only issue with this book.
The plot is so well constructed. We are given so much information throughout the book but nothing felt overwhelming or infodumpy. Each piece of information felt natural and when things were explained, I understood them. There was a lot of scientific and mathematical information that gets presented to you, but everything is written in a way that you can understand it and it doesn't come with that barrier that I sometimes encounter when reading science fiction. This book makes important points that relate to society, gender, sexuality, race, and humanity as a whole. Everything felt natural and felt like it came at the time it needed to come. Nothing felt forced.
I absolutely loved the characters. April May was phenomenal. She was snarky, she was funny, she was relatable. I felt so connected to her in every way. I'm so happy I got to read about a 23 year old while I am 23. I feel like I've never read from a character who is the same age as me. She did and said unbelievable things but none of it was unbelievable. She was so incredibly self-aware. She did things she shouldn't and she reflected on that. Her journey was so emotional and I am so happy I got to experience this alongside April. April is bisexual and it is never an issue for her. It is a part of who she is, who she has always been and who she is always going to be. It was not a plot point. It was just a fact about April. As someone who also isn't straight, each part of the plot that touched on her sexuality hit so deeply for me. At one point, I was so heated I got up from reading and had to go speak to someone about what April had experienced or I would have given in to the urge to whip the book across the room. "Sexuality is complicated and fluid."Yes. Yes. Yes. A million times yes. April spoke about how she believed, or wanted to believe, that she lived in a bubble world unaffected by things that happened on cable news. She spoke about how she'd be living her normal life, being inside of her the way she had always been and then remember it wasn't that way anymore. She spoke about how she felt about herself and how she experienced others liking her and wanting to be with her. I have never related to a character more than I have related to April and I feel so understood and so seen with this novel.
April's relationships with Andy and Maya were so beautiful and so human. Maya was the person who would call April on her bullshit when no one else would and it was so incredibly refreshing. I wish we had seen more of Maya and expanded on her character more but given the circumstances, it was clear why we didn't. April and Andy were such good friends and you got to see how their relationship developed from being friends to being friends who had discovered something amazing, friends who had entered the spotlight together, friends who were heavily different yet remained close, and friends who had begun to craft April's public identity together.
As the book progresses, we are introduced to Robin, Miranda, Jennifer Putnam, Peter Petrawicki, April's parents, and a multitude of others. Robin and Miranda are who we get to see develop the most because they join our main team of characters. They are both absolutely wonderful and I loved seeing their contribution to April and the mystery of the Carls.
This book was SO FUNNY. It's rare I read books that have a large focus on humor and usually when humor is introduced in a book, it's not incredibly funny to me. Boy was this book different. There were multiple points where I was laughing out loud reading and it was so wonderful.
I did not know going into this book that it was part of a duology. I did find out around page 80 that it was. At page 80, I was just excited that I looked up everyone's reviews for fun and someone had mentioned that it was a duology! Knowing that, I lessened my expectations that everything was going to be wrapped up neatly with a bow. The ending is so great. It's SO GREAT. I'm so happy that this is a duology and that at some point, I'm going to get another story in this world with these characters.
I've exhausted everything I can say intellectually about this book. Everything else I have is just a million exclamation points climbing up my throat to escape my mouth and let the world know how I feel. I absolutely loved it and I think it's something everyone should pick up. show less
Hank Green is the brother of wildly successful author John Green – he wrote The Fault in Our Stars – together Hank and John are incredibly successful YouTube personalities. An Absolutely Remarkable Thing is Hank Green’s debut novel. Being the brother of John Green automatically sets him up for a lot of assumptions – people may assume that THIS novel is “Young Adult” – a somewhat ambiguous genre label given to books with “youthful” main characters. It is not. People may assume that Hank is not as talented as his brother. He is. People may assume that April May, our leading lady, knew what she was getting into the night she called her friend Andy to come film this giant Transformer looking samurai armor sculpture. She show more didn’t. In fact, she inadvertently becomes the Carls spokesperson.
As we follow April’s upward trajectory in the realm of Talking Heads on 24 hour news channels, we also join her as she attempts to uncover the reason for the Carls sudden appearance and, more importantly, what they want from us.
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this book. It is very much a book set in TODAY. Viral videos, instant celebrities, 24-hour “news” (one of my favorite passages discusses this - “here’s a hint: it’s not really “news” until the ads stop)– we see it everyday, some of the viral sensations still live in my head – Rebecca Black’s “Friday”, anyone? Not only does he tackle the positive side of instant celebrity – money, personal assistants, free stuff) he shows the ugly side too – the dehumanization that can happen when you're in the public eye; The many ways we see “the other side” as villainous.
Hank Green has actually lived it and he brings his unique perspective to his characters.
If you enjoy the writings of Robin Sloan, Ernest Cline, or Mira Grant, pick this one up today! show less
As we follow April’s upward trajectory in the realm of Talking Heads on 24 hour news channels, we also join her as she attempts to uncover the reason for the Carls sudden appearance and, more importantly, what they want from us.
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this book. It is very much a book set in TODAY. Viral videos, instant celebrities, 24-hour “news” (one of my favorite passages discusses this - “here’s a hint: it’s not really “news” until the ads stop)– we see it everyday, some of the viral sensations still live in my head – Rebecca Black’s “Friday”, anyone? Not only does he tackle the positive side of instant celebrity – money, personal assistants, free stuff) he shows the ugly side too – the dehumanization that can happen when you're in the public eye; The many ways we see “the other side” as villainous.
Hank Green has actually lived it and he brings his unique perspective to his characters.
If you enjoy the writings of Robin Sloan, Ernest Cline, or Mira Grant, pick this one up today! show less
Hank Green's debut has a sci-fi plot that was intriguing and enjoyable, but really it's about sudden fame and the interconnected, social- media-infused world we now live in. I didn't love any of the characters, which made the handful of draggy bits seem even more draggy, but that is really a personal reaction rather than anything approaching an objective criticism of the book. The main character, April May, is kind of unlikeable, and that is largely the point. Green does some really great stuff with allowing her to be flawed and exploring how her personality interacts with her circumstance. For anyone who has seen a lot of Green's content as himself (watched his Youtube videos, listened to his podcasts), as I have, it may sometimes feel show more like Green is talking at you out of the novel's pages (where it should be April May, as the pov is first person), but it still mostly works. If I have any real criticism of the book it is this: YOU CALL THAT AN ENDING HANK HOW DARE. Ahem. Mostly recommended, especially if you are a Hank Green/Vlog Brothers fan and/or if you are fascinated by the way the internet and social media are impacting our cultures. I think this would be a fascinating book to read alongside The Nix, incidentally, as I think they both get at much of the same things in some pretty varied ways. show less
Coming home very late from work one night, April May discovers an enormous...she's not sure what it is. Installation art? It looks sort of like a huge Transformer. She calls her friend Andy to come down, and he shoots a video of her with the sculpture, which she calls Carl. Their video goes viral, and it turns out there are dozens of Carls: they appeared simultaneously all over the globe, and any security camera that should have caught them is blanked out (though faint audio of "Don't Stop Me Now" by Queen is audible).
The Carls are a mystery, and April and Andy, the initial discoverers, are at the epicenter. Their video brings in money, they go on TV, they make more videos, and they acquire a fan base. An expert reaches out and becomes show more part of their small group, and they get an agent, and a personal assistant (though the personal/professional lines are somewhat blurred).
But the mystery of the Carls goes higher and higher; governments are curious but baffled and concerned. (China and Russia block off public access to their Carls.) Meanwhile, a dream is spreading from person to person, a dream full of puzzle sequences that April and Andy's online community works together to solve. They are the Dreamers, but another group has sprung up: the Defenders, who believe that the Carls are a threat to humanity. Both groups are racing to be the first to complete the dream sequence, and for April, who is the most visible, it gets personal - and dangerous - very fast.
An Absolutely Remarkable Thing is about fame and celebrity; the speed and power of the Internet (for better and worse); friendships and relationships; uncertainty and beauty. It is fast-paced (especially near the end, it reads like a thriller), and the ending leaves room for speculation.
Quotes from ARC in private notes field until publication show less
The Carls are a mystery, and April and Andy, the initial discoverers, are at the epicenter. Their video brings in money, they go on TV, they make more videos, and they acquire a fan base. An expert reaches out and becomes show more part of their small group, and they get an agent, and a personal assistant (though the personal/professional lines are somewhat blurred).
But the mystery of the Carls goes higher and higher; governments are curious but baffled and concerned. (China and Russia block off public access to their Carls.) Meanwhile, a dream is spreading from person to person, a dream full of puzzle sequences that April and Andy's online community works together to solve. They are the Dreamers, but another group has sprung up: the Defenders, who believe that the Carls are a threat to humanity. Both groups are racing to be the first to complete the dream sequence, and for April, who is the most visible, it gets personal - and dangerous - very fast.
An Absolutely Remarkable Thing is about fame and celebrity; the speed and power of the Internet (for better and worse); friendships and relationships; uncertainty and beauty. It is fast-paced (especially near the end, it reads like a thriller), and the ending leaves room for speculation.
Quotes from ARC in private notes field until publication show less
When April May leaves the office totally exhausted at 3am to return home, she comes across a surely true remarkable thing. She calls her friend Andy to meet her and to bring his camera so that they could film this big sculpture which suddenly was just there in the middle of New York City. April names it Carl and Andy uploads their short video to YouTube. What both of them do not have the least premonition of at that moment is what happens afterwards. All over the world, Carls have appeared, but New York’s one is considered the first and April May somehow the connection to these strange and unmovable figures. This could be the story, but not in our times anymore because the internet is yearning for idols, for people to worship and show more follow and April May has become exactly that. She is not the 23-year-old design student anymore, a brand replaces her personality and obviously, for the Carls, she is the human being to communicate with.
Hank Green knows what he is talking about in making the internet and different social media platforms the centre of his debut novel since he himself has become famous as a video blogger and with different web projects. “An Absolutely Remarkable Thing” is often classified as a science-fiction novel, I would like to disagree here because there is not much that isn’t real today in it. Just the one aspect, aliens making contact, yet the rest of far from being futuristic and imaginative but all too real.
No matter which genre you assign the book to, it is a great read that offers food for thought on several levels. Normally, I prefer novels with realistic settings and plots that create the impression of authenticity. Well, this is not really the case here with those Carls showing up unexpectedly. Yet, I was immediately hooked and couldn’t put it down anymore. April May – I have to say it here: did I ever come across a protagonist with a more ridiculous name? I don’t think so – is quite an interesting character since, on the one hand, she surely is a bit naive or at least does not anticipate the extent of her doings. On the other hand, she seems to be quite natural and acts on impulse which I liked at lot since it made it easy to sympathise with her in a certain way. Her development from young woman to brand is remarkable and gives you a great idea of media and internet dynamics; I also liked the marketing background coming with it which was masterly integrated into the novel.
I you ever wanted to explain to anybody how the internet community works and what the advantages and dangers of social media are, just hand over this novel. I think it is a wonderful example of today’s communication mechanisms and of how nobody can control these processes anymore once set in motion. The internet is not a separate space any longer where you can have something like a second life, it has become a part of our real life and certainly has an impact on what happens in the real world nowadays. It is flattering that Green makes his alien believe that there is some clever and beautiful life on earth, yet, for me the more important message to take from the book was certainly the question of how we can synergise those two worlds that we are living in without forgetting who we are when creating ourselves.
In several respects a great read that could have an important impact and make us readers ponder about our behaviour. show less
Hank Green knows what he is talking about in making the internet and different social media platforms the centre of his debut novel since he himself has become famous as a video blogger and with different web projects. “An Absolutely Remarkable Thing” is often classified as a science-fiction novel, I would like to disagree here because there is not much that isn’t real today in it. Just the one aspect, aliens making contact, yet the rest of far from being futuristic and imaginative but all too real.
No matter which genre you assign the book to, it is a great read that offers food for thought on several levels. Normally, I prefer novels with realistic settings and plots that create the impression of authenticity. Well, this is not really the case here with those Carls showing up unexpectedly. Yet, I was immediately hooked and couldn’t put it down anymore. April May – I have to say it here: did I ever come across a protagonist with a more ridiculous name? I don’t think so – is quite an interesting character since, on the one hand, she surely is a bit naive or at least does not anticipate the extent of her doings. On the other hand, she seems to be quite natural and acts on impulse which I liked at lot since it made it easy to sympathise with her in a certain way. Her development from young woman to brand is remarkable and gives you a great idea of media and internet dynamics; I also liked the marketing background coming with it which was masterly integrated into the novel.
I you ever wanted to explain to anybody how the internet community works and what the advantages and dangers of social media are, just hand over this novel. I think it is a wonderful example of today’s communication mechanisms and of how nobody can control these processes anymore once set in motion. The internet is not a separate space any longer where you can have something like a second life, it has become a part of our real life and certainly has an impact on what happens in the real world nowadays. It is flattering that Green makes his alien believe that there is some clever and beautiful life on earth, yet, for me the more important message to take from the book was certainly the question of how we can synergise those two worlds that we are living in without forgetting who we are when creating ourselves.
In several respects a great read that could have an important impact and make us readers ponder about our behaviour. show less
Suddenly, in cities all over the world, these weird, impossible, motionless giant... samurai robot statue things?... have appeared. One of the first people to encounter one, a young woman named April May, uploads a video about it to her friend's YouTube channel, and finds herself in the middle of something, well, absolutely remarkable.
This book delighted me almost immediately. The writing was fun, funny, breezy, and irreverent. The main character was quirky, but human-feeling. And the story itself promised to be thoroughly bonkers, in a deeply entertaining way. That level of delight turned out to be a little difficult to sustain, though, and while the writing remains mostly breezy and the plot not just bonkers but increasingly bonkers, show more it ends up taking a more earnest turn, focusing on the way social media polarizes society and on the complicated impact that internet fame inevitably has on people. It handles this stuff all right, in a nuanced if not exactly subtle way, but it is, y'know... less delightful. And increasingly it became clear that there was no possible actually satisfying ending to the increasingly bonkers plot (although the general approach that Hank Green takes with it is probably the best one he could have opted for, at least).
Even if I feel like it doesn't entirely live up to the promise of the first few chapters, though, it's still an entertaining and relevant read. show less
This book delighted me almost immediately. The writing was fun, funny, breezy, and irreverent. The main character was quirky, but human-feeling. And the story itself promised to be thoroughly bonkers, in a deeply entertaining way. That level of delight turned out to be a little difficult to sustain, though, and while the writing remains mostly breezy and the plot not just bonkers but increasingly bonkers, show more it ends up taking a more earnest turn, focusing on the way social media polarizes society and on the complicated impact that internet fame inevitably has on people. It handles this stuff all right, in a nuanced if not exactly subtle way, but it is, y'know... less delightful. And increasingly it became clear that there was no possible actually satisfying ending to the increasingly bonkers plot (although the general approach that Hank Green takes with it is probably the best one he could have opted for, at least).
Even if I feel like it doesn't entirely live up to the promise of the first few chapters, though, it's still an entertaining and relevant read. show less
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Author Information
14+ Works 4,924 Members
Some Editions
Awards and Honors
Awards
Distinctions
Series
Work Relationships
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- An Absolutely Remarkable Thing: A Novel
- Original title
- An Absolutely Remarkable Thing
- Original publication date
- 2018-09-25
- People/Characters
- April May; Maya; Andy Skampt; Jason; Tom; Jennifer Putnam (show all 10); Miranda Beckwith; Robin; Peter Petrawicki; Carl
- Important places
- New York, New York, USA; Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA; Grauman's Chinese Theater, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA; The Magic Castle, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Dedication
- Thanks, Mom!
- First words
- Look, I am aware that you're here for an epic tale of intrigue and mystery and adventure and near death and actual death, but in order to get to that (unless you want to skip to chapter 13--I'm not your boss), you're going to... (show all) have to deal with the fact that I, April May, in addition to being one of the most important things that has ever happened to the human race, am also a woman in her twenties who has made some mistakes.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Knock knock
- Blurbers
- Grossman, Lev; Scalzi, John; Fink, Joseph; Rothfuss, Patrick; Ford, Ashley C.; Valente, Catherynne M.
- Original language
- English
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 3,358
- Popularity
- 4,991
- Reviews
- 135
- Rating
- (4.07)
- Languages
- 8 — Chinese, English, Finnish, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 31
- ASINs
- 10