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An Absolutely Remarkable Thing
- Narrated by: Hank Green, Kristen Sieh
- Length: 9 hrs and 25 mins
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An Absolutely Remarkable Thing
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Publisher's summary
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 realising 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 centre 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 radicalisation; how our culture deals with fear and uncertainty; and how vilification and adoration spring from the same dehumanisation that follows a life in the public eye.
Critic reviews
'A fun, contemporary adventure that cares about who we are as humans, especially when faced with remarkable events' Kirkus
'An Absolutely Remarkable Thing is pure book joy' Lev Grossman, number one New York Times bestselling author of the Magicians Trilogy
'Fun and full of truth. To be honest, I'm a little irritated at how good the book is. I don't need this kind of competition' Patrick Rothfuss, number New York Times bestselling author of The Kingkiller Chronicles
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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
- Susanne
- 09-25-18
DFTBA!
If you liked Sleeping Giants you're gonna love this book. It's entertaining and a great read
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Arrow
- 10-04-18
Wow!
Holy shitballs Hank! You should be so proud. This was an amazing story and it was told so well. Kudos.
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6 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
- Seán Hannan
- 03-07-20
Read it, then listened to it, then listened again.
Loved it. Keenly anticipating the sequel, A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor.
Hank does story better than John. John writes character better.
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1 person 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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- Anonymous User
- 06-30-19
A great story.
I loved every minute of it. It gives us a peek into the life of the Internet and how fame can change us.
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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
- Anonymous User
- 01-30-19
Very Realistic
Great story, good narrator. Are you a young person? This book is for you. This is probably the best depiction I've seen of people in their early 20s dealing with the realities of modern day life. The reflective way in which it is written really helps with that aesthetic. it also deals with things like fame and the internet in ways that are both realistic and contemporary. Excellent book, definitely recommend, particularly if you are in your 20s.
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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
- Yaakov Gorensteyn
- 01-29-20
Good book, well read.
I enjoyed Hank's writing, probably more than his brother's even. Nice sci-fi book, can't wait for the sequel.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Adithya
- 10-03-18
An absolutely remarkable thing.
John Green did it. The book literally is absolutely remarkable. April May was an imperfect character and I loved it.
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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
- Signe Lemhagen
- 10-15-18
If you wanna have a good time (just give me a Carl?)
Holy shitballs! Sorry, I just finished reading and am still a bit caught up in the story. It’s a really exiting, can’t-put-it-down kind of book.
What I like most about it however is that it is the kind of art that helps you (or at least helped me) to think about and interact with complicated and heavy subjects. I’m glad so many people will read it because I’m gonna need to find someone to talk with about it all. It feels like a important book in how It could not have been written in any other time than now. Not just because of technology, but because of the challenges specific to our time.
And I liked the characters.
Glad I read it.
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3 people found this helpful
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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
- Denise
- 02-28-21
It's not about what it's about
So you'd better read it or listen to it to find discover the truth for yourself.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Nicky
- 08-05-21
Absolutely Remarkable!
This is my second time through the book and it was every bit as captivating as the first time. I’ve got through it in just a few days, which is crazy for me, but I could not put it down (metaphorically). Well and truly my favourite book. Thank you Hank for this amazing book
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