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A review by c95newman
A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor by Hank Green
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
[This is a sequel, MAJOR spoiler alert for the first book, an absolutely remarkable thing]
Following April's death the gang is attempting to pick up the pieces of their former lives and learn to live without her. But then they start getting mysterious books that seem to know exactly what they are going to do, and has some clues and advice for them. Cue an adventure with a few 20 somethings, a cyborg, a monkey, and a potato plant.
I REALLY loved this book. One thing I think Hank Green does super well is mix his huge life-changing stories with a bit of whimsy. It reminds me a bit of hitchhiker's guide. And it makes the story more fun in the heavy parts.
Each chapter of the book changes the narrator, and is titled with the name of the narrator. I like how we get the thoughts of all of the flawed characters, and I really resonate with Andy's character development. I feel like his flaws are easy to criticize from the outside, but are way more relatable when you see his inner monologs. I wasnt a huge fan of Carl's chapters, mostly because they were extremely confusing and while obviously Carl's powers are not real, Hank Green still tried to explain them in a scientific way that didn't make sense to me as a non scientist.
It focused really heavily on fame, the power of social media, and society. I really like how the themes carried over from the last book.
The queer representation in this book was perfect. Its really hard to find a book with queer characters that are characterized well and thoughtfully, especially by a (presumably) not queer person. Just like the first book, the relationships were realistic and the queer characters had traits other than "queer".
Following April's death the gang is attempting to pick up the pieces of their former lives and learn to live without her. But then they start getting mysterious books that seem to know exactly what they are going to do, and has some clues and advice for them. Cue an adventure with a few 20 somethings, a cyborg, a monkey, and a potato plant.
I REALLY loved this book. One thing I think Hank Green does super well is mix his huge life-changing stories with a bit of whimsy. It reminds me a bit of hitchhiker's guide. And it makes the story more fun in the heavy parts.
Each chapter of the book changes the narrator, and is titled with the name of the narrator. I like how we get the thoughts of all of the flawed characters, and I really resonate with Andy's character development. I feel like his flaws are easy to criticize from the outside, but are way more relatable when you see his inner monologs. I wasnt a huge fan of Carl's chapters, mostly because they were extremely confusing and while obviously Carl's powers are not real, Hank Green still tried to explain them in a scientific way that didn't make sense to me as a non scientist.
It focused really heavily on fame, the power of social media, and society. I really like how the themes carried over from the last book.
The queer representation in this book was perfect. Its really hard to find a book with queer characters that are characterized well and thoughtfully, especially by a (presumably) not queer person. Just like the first book, the relationships were realistic and the queer characters had traits other than "queer".
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Vomit
Several characters loose control over their bodies or minds. Its a key plot point