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An Absolutely Remarkable Thing
- A Novel
- Narrated by: Kristen Sieh, Hank Green
- Length: 9 hrs and 25 mins
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An Absolutely Remarkable Thing
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Publisher's Summary
The instant number-one New York Times best seller
In his much-anticipated debut novel, Hank Green - co-creator 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., 23-year-old April May stumbles across a giant sculpture. Delighted by its appearance and craftsmanship - like a 10-foot-tall 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.
The beginning of an exciting fiction career, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing is a bold and insightful novel of now.
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What the critics say
“An Absolutely Remarkable Thing is a thrilling journey that takes a hard look at the power of fame and our willingness to separate a person from the brand. Green manages to blend humor, mystery, and science-fiction in his fast-paced debut novel.” (Associated Press)
“A deceptively romp-y novel about mysterious samurai alien robot statues appearing all at once, everywhere that has hidden and absolutely remarkable depths.... Green's understanding of the power and limits of social media is incomparable; what Douglas Coupland did for the elation and misery of the tech-bubble with Microserfs, Green does for YouTubers and other social media stars. It makes for a novel that's always charming, always fast-paced, but which is sneakily and uncomfortably ambivalent about the things it celebrates. It gallops to a startling and great ending (I read it all in one sitting) and lingers afterwards.” (Cory Doctorow, BoingBoing)
“[An Absolutely Remarkable Thing] is perhaps as honest a look as we will ever get into the phenomenon of cyberfame, and Green balances this careful introspection with a plotline that is both fun and mysterious, puzzling, and compelling.... Green quickly proves himself adept not only at playing into our 2018 anxiety and love/hate relationship with social media, but also at driving suspense, world-building, and a true love for science-fiction.” (Bookreporter)
“Led by an earnestly flawed, bisexual heroine with direction and commitment issues, coupled with an abundant generosity of spirit, this read is timely and sorely needed. Highly recommended.” (Library Journal, starred review)
What listeners say about An Absolutely Remarkable Thing
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Allison
- 2018-10-20
Amazing story!
I loved it and could not stop listening to it. It was interesting, April is a complicated and believable character.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- metalxjamie
- 2020-07-07
A reflection of the times
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.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Darien Starks
- 2021-09-12
New obsession
I read both books in less than a week and I am obsessed. I already went to reread them it’s not funny.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Amelia and Neil
- 2019-07-20
I couldn't stop listening
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.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Megan G
- 2018-09-27
An Absolutely Remarkable Book
Incredibly poignant and relevant to the current social and political climate in both the western and global society. Hank's book takes a hard look at how we as a species participate in discourse and how the discourse we chose to engage in effects us. April May's journey through notoriety and fame is believable and heartfelt. It shows the difficulties in coping and making good decisions in the face of being rapidly propelled into the public eye. A great read. I will not so patiently await a sequel.
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ray
- 2020-04-09
Wow!!! That was totally unexpected and totally worth it.
This review is moments after finishing the end credits,
Good job Hank, I feel like that story had all the feels, I can’t wait for the follow up,so please hurry 😀
the narration by Kristen was strong, flowed with the story in a natural way and you brought April to life in a way that made me feel like I was listening to her YouTube Channel.
I am now patiently waiting for more... <Taps toe in corner> 😀
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Maude F.
- 2021-02-19
I recommand
I liked how the author keeps us interested in the story by telling some bits that happens later on. I though there were a bit of long descriptive parts, but overall, it was a really great book.
The readers were great, a little robotic but when the characters were talking there was emotions.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Megan Gibson
- 2021-08-29
Not even slightly disappointed!
This is maybe the coolest book I’ve heard. The performance of Kristen was clear and exciting. Everything about it was fantastic! Excellent Work Hank Green!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kevin Powell
- 2020-11-26
Really enjoyed this one
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.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Nicole j.
- 2021-03-04
I love it ^.^ <3
I couldn't stop listening to this book. I'm so happy to have listened to this book.
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