Reviews

Um Esforço Lindo e Fútil by Hank Green

vaenadal's review against another edition

5.0

I enjoyed the first book, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing, and I thought it was written well. But this one was better. A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor had a more complex plot, but it was handled really well. For structural reasons that make sense, we mostly read the story from April's perspective in book one, but I think in this one the story benefited from being told from her friends' perspectives. Also, the "sci" part in "sci fi" took a huge leap forward in this book and I thought that Hank developed the Altus technology, and the problems with the Altus technology, really well.

And as an aside that won't matter to anyone else, my name is Val and my favorite color is green, so I really appreciated the island of Val Verde existing. :)

I can't claim to be a hardcore Nerdfighter, but I've seen Hank and John's videos and I've seen some of their Crash Course videos and from everything I've watched, this book felt like the distilled essence of Hank Green. It was really good and I hope he writes more novels in the future.

thestoriessofar's review against another edition

5.0

SO much better than the first one

nookkickdraw's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

jaevro's review against another edition

Spent a lot of time with this book and I feel it’s the kind of book that deserves a reread down the line. Lots of larger themes to revisit within the relatable characters and quips. Namely,
• The human experience is about being flawed, empathetic, and within the communities we create
• AI and social media are a forever looming threat for our modern world and change 1) the way our brains function & 2) the playing field for power concentration
• Humans love to feel valuable and to glean meaning from our lives, many ways to do this involve connecting with each other

I found myself relating to April in ways I didn’t expect, in all her impulsivity and sense of self-importance. I guess that makes me human.

I love Hank’s details that feel so full of life— the monkey, the potato, the books. The way the book suspends realities in these ways is unexpected and fun. His foundation with science and finance goes in wonderfully, making the world so much more immersive.

emilyb_chicago's review against another edition

4.0

I really enjoyed this book. Despite jumping in at almost the exact moment that the first book end, I found the ramp up for this one to be slightly slower. It was a complicated plot/premise that took what we knew in the first book and expanded it and turned it slightly sideways so we saw it differently. The story was again told through multiple viewpoints, but the seams weren't quite as perfect.

I tore through the second half of the book and enjoyed every moment of the wonky and complicated plot. This book expects a lot of you but you can easily enjoy the ride without "getting" every detail.

The audio version had a really nice epilogue by the author and very interesting conversation interpreting some of the things that Hank was trying to get across in the book. I think I liked the book more for listening to the interview.

cissaschell's review against another edition

adventurous inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I took over a year to finish it and I'm happy that I eventually finished reading. I like the characters, and I like how it is a fiction that talks about the real world, kinda makes me a little preoccupied that we will actually get controlled by Carl's brother and we won't even know.

a_schwa's review against another edition

3.0

I think this was a pretty good sequel to the first novel and provided a realistic look into the fallout of the actions of the first book while also being magical and fun.

qludwig's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I think I liked this book even more than the first!
It took me a while to get into it because it had so many different storylines and it read so differently to the first book but once I got into it I really got into it!
I think it was very well written and very insightful in a lot of the points it was making while also telling a really good story. It’s thematic and slightly moralistic (as in it has something it wants to say) writing done properly! 
So glad i finally took a chance on this series!
Also at about the 70-80% mark there is a YouTube URL written into the book. It’s definitely worth typing that into your search bar!!

maylinmunoz's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful inspiring mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

adurance's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Great book! Very impressed with Hank Green.