{"id":54,"date":"2020-07-18T13:01:00","date_gmt":"2020-07-18T13:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/\/?p=54"},"modified":"2020-07-18T13:01:00","modified_gmt":"2020-07-18T13:01:00","slug":"a-beautifully-foolish-endeavor-by-hank-green-mindscape-reviews","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?p=54","title":{"rendered":"A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor by Hank Green. (Mindscape Reviews!)"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n
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Hi Readers! After 10 difficult days, I have finally finished reading Hank Green\u2019s \u2018A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor\u2019, which was a sequel to \u2018An Absolutely Remarkable Thing\u2019. First of all, I want you all to know that I love Hank Green. He is the kind of nerd-king I worship. I also immensely loved his first book \u2018An Absolutely Remarkable Thing\u2019. This is why I had HIGH HOPES<\/span><\/b> <\/span>from the second book. But, imagine my pain, when I didn\u2019t like it AT ALL<\/span><\/b>. I am really CONFLICTED<\/span><\/b> <\/span>about my disappointment in the book & with my love for the author. S0, Hank, if you find this post, please don\u2019t read it. It won\u2019t be good for either of us.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

You can check out my book review for the first book here<\/a>!<\/span><\/p>\n


<\/span><\/p>\n

~~INTRODUCTION~~<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor is a much-awaited sequel released 2 years after the first novel. The first book ends on a cliff hanger so interesting that you can\u2019t not read what happens next! In this book, we see the aftermath when the Carls disappear. We see how every character in the book copes differently with it & how they move on in their own lives. This book is divided into chapters for all of April May\u2019s friends, so we get to see their point of views & their current happenings.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n<\/p>\n

~~CHARACTERS~~<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

We have Andy Skampt<\/span><\/b> <\/span>how is rich & has become somewhat of a philosopher preaching people to be kind. Then there is Maya<\/span><\/b> <\/span>who is still hopeful of April\u2019s existence. Miranda<\/span><\/b> <\/span>is again immersed into her research. And soon, April<\/span><\/b> <\/span>comes into the picture being half-human & half-alien. We also have Carl<\/span><\/b> <\/span>who is like that old retired scientist who only like to talk about science with his grandchildren.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

As the story progresses, each of the character sets on a journey that progresses toward the climax of the book. Andy becomes a billionaire so that he could spend it all on an important cause. Maya goes on a scientific adventure only to discover some unusual white stones. Miranda applies to work for a company started by April\u2019s archenemy Peter Petrawicki<\/span><\/b>. All of them are doing something, but none of it is remotely intriguing, but more like unbearably dull.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n<\/p>\n

~~OVERALL THOUGHTS~~<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with how I found this 483-page novel<\/span><\/b>. The first 30% of the book goes in setting up how all the characters felt post Carls\u2019 disappearance. And, also, after that 30%, we get to see April May. I hated that I had to wait THAT LONG<\/span><\/b> <\/span>to know what happened to her. And the waiting was not at all interesting. It was incredulously boring. Now, for the next part. NOTHING HAPPENS<\/span><\/b> <\/span>in the book in the first 60% of it! Yes, there are minor things going on in their lives, but those things are not enough to hold the reader\u2019s attention, rather on the contrary. Even after April & Carl enter the story, the chapters somehow become even MORE BORING<\/span><\/b>. I was expecting some brilliant mind-blowing explanation of Carls, but instead it was so purely scientific that it just did not work for me. The thing is that the author was so overworked into setting the right theme<\/span><\/b> <\/span>for the novel, that he spent the better part of it in that instead of creating even an average story. And, as for the remaining 40%, it was much more JUVENILE<\/span><\/b> than anything I have read. The whole rescuing Miranda by invading Altus plan was just that. I have read Adventure & Sci-Fi & Action, but this was neither of it.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Now, I am going to break down the parts which I found disappointing. When Carl & April came into the story, I was glad. I thought I will finally have some answers. But this only led to Carl explaining everything in such a manner that any average person would not understand. And, this wasn\u2019t like a quick brief, it was LONG<\/span><\/b>! A load of crap about pelagibacter & neuroscience & what not! This was a big BUMMER<\/span><\/b> <\/span>for me. I liked the vision of Altus Space & also liked how Hank has made its dual impacts clear. It makes you wonder about how it will change everything, but it also makes you wonder about the inequalities, mental health issues & other problems it creates. This book was basically 70% SCI & 30% FI<\/span><\/b>. <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Apart from the lengthy scientific explanations<\/span><\/b> <\/span>which helped me only in dozing off, there were also lengthy non-scientific explanations<\/span><\/b>. These were more about humanity, but they were written as if they belonged in a non-fiction philosophy<\/span><\/b> <\/span>book. Yes, he has talked about possibly all the problems with humanity, such as climate change, pandemics, bigotry, inequality, wars, data privacy, concentration of power, gun control<\/span><\/b> <\/span>& so many other things. And, when he connected SOME<\/span><\/b> <\/span>of these issues with the story, it aligned really well & also the message was clear. But, when he just plainly rambled on about them, that was NOT FUN<\/span><\/b>. <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

I also want to talk about the 5 Character-wise separated chapters throughout the novel<\/span><\/b>. Maybe the point of doing that was to bring all of them together at the climax, but nothing great happened there either. That\u2019s when I realized how that kind of writing SLOWED<\/span><\/b> <\/span>the story immensely. So many unnecessary details about all of them because they themselves are telling their own stories connecting those to the one big story. Usually when the chapters are separated with 2 characters, it is a good change, but to separate it in 5, was not really clever. I would have even allowed it if the end was something massive & if the end required that kind of writing, but NOPE<\/span><\/b>.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

The thing I LOVED about An Absolutely Remarkable Thing was CARL & everything that surrounded him like the Dream. In A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor, everything is again surrounded by Carl, such as The Book of Good Times, unreal white stones, Carl in monkey form, Carl\u2019s sibling, April\u2019s half-alien body and so on. There wasn\u2019t one absolutely remarkable thing, but there were multiple absolutely unremarkable things<\/span><\/b>. None of them made an impact significant enough as it did in the first book.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

~~CONCLUSION~~<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

I rated Hank Green\u2019s A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor at 1.5\/5<\/span><\/b>. I am done feeling guilty about it. This book was supposed to take me out of my reading slump, but instead it put me far down below & put rocks over me making it difficult to get up & go on! I\u2019d now welcome any book recommendations that have helped you guys get out of the slump!<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n


<\/span><\/p>\n


<\/span><\/p>\n

Until next time,<\/span><\/div>\n
\n
<\/a><\/div>\n


<\/span><\/div><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hi Readers! After 10 difficult days, I have finally finished reading Hank Green\u2019s \u2018A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor\u2019, which was a sequel to \u2018An Absolutely Remarkable Thing\u2019. First of all, I want you all to know that I love Hank Green. He is the kind of nerd-king I worship. I also immensely loved his first book […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,4,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-54","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-book-review","category-books","category-mindscape-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":58,"url":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?p=58","url_meta":{"origin":54,"position":0},"title":"My Favourite Book Covers!","author":"Aishwarya Shenolikar","date":"July 9, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Hi Readers! How are you all doing? How was July so far? For me, there is nothing great going on. 9 days in & I have not read a single book, except for \u2018The Little Book of Happiness\u2019 by Ruskin Bond, which as the title suggests was little. I am\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Book review"","block_context":{"text":"Book review","link":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?cat=2"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-Say8T7Yv3iU\/XwbZsoydTlI\/AAAAAAAAjVY\/OeudaOW6_s8N2qaWNn-L5k9JnfRzbvYfgCK4BGAsYHg\/w394-h640\/IMG_20200709_124849-01-01.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":153,"url":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?p=153","url_meta":{"origin":54,"position":1},"title":"An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green. (Mindscape Reviews!)","author":"Aishwarya Shenolikar","date":"October 14, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"I have been awaiting to read Hank Green\u2019s debut novel for more months than I will admit. And, when it was finally released, I read it in one go. Not because it was Hank Green & I love him. Not because I wanted to get ahead of the spoilers. But,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Book review"","block_context":{"text":"Book review","link":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?cat=2"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-f9Xwq-GNFlQ\/WbPJ8d7pX9I\/AAAAAAAAduA\/Y6ZKOhC9a0g-jWdJSnuOqOaV6fE84DG8gCPcBGAYYCw\/s320\/mindscapereviews.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":55,"url":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?p=55","url_meta":{"origin":54,"position":2},"title":"Top of My TBR!","author":"Aishwarya Shenolikar","date":"July 15, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Hi Readers! July is officially my Reading Slump Month. I did everything I could to get out of it, but the more I try, the worse it gets. So, now I have finally given up. I have read ONLY TWO BOOKS so far this month, which is really low compared\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "books"","block_context":{"text":"books","link":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?cat=4"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-e9xnkrf7z1M\/Xw6uO5UB3qI\/AAAAAAAAjeA\/n88Clk_HJFYzChXv7y6z5DkX1XWuwec8gCLcBGAsYHQ\/w480-h640\/IMG_20200712_233821-01-01.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":50,"url":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?p=50","url_meta":{"origin":54,"position":3},"title":"July Reads!","author":"Aishwarya Shenolikar","date":"July 31, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Hi Readers! How happy are you? 3 posts in 3 days!! Am I on a roll or what? Don\u2019t be too pleased though, because after this post, I\u2019ve got nothing left to give you all till I finish a few books! Anyway, believe it or not, with my sad reading\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Book review"","block_context":{"text":"Book review","link":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?cat=2"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-9uqlIsRCHFc\/XyPAS6les9I\/AAAAAAAAjkA\/km6_hEVFCJ4lfxQT7N7wA2WTMKFmmFo9gCLcBGAsYHQ\/w640-h568\/PicsArt_07-31-11.02.28-01.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-9uqlIsRCHFc\/XyPAS6les9I\/AAAAAAAAjkA\/km6_hEVFCJ4lfxQT7N7wA2WTMKFmmFo9gCLcBGAsYHQ\/w640-h568\/PicsArt_07-31-11.02.28-01.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-9uqlIsRCHFc\/XyPAS6les9I\/AAAAAAAAjkA\/km6_hEVFCJ4lfxQT7N7wA2WTMKFmmFo9gCLcBGAsYHQ\/w640-h568\/PicsArt_07-31-11.02.28-01.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":170,"url":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?p=170","url_meta":{"origin":54,"position":4},"title":"Turtles All The Way Down: A Thought Provoking Read!","author":"Aishwarya Shenolikar","date":"November 8, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Hello Readers! I'm ecstatic to bring to you 4th post in Mindscape Reviews, more close to my heart, a Book Review!! John Green is one of my favourite authors & I was thrilled when his new novel 'Turtles All The Way Down' was released this month, after a gap of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Book review"","block_context":{"text":"Book review","link":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?cat=2"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-Wc5gKaMWHok\/Wcd1CPmYssI\/AAAAAAAAd2Q\/NBiU1oW787wTEXOM8ob5nFgbe5DouaycwCPcBGAYYCw\/s320\/mindscapereviews.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":26,"url":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?p=26","url_meta":{"origin":54,"position":5},"title":"Books I Read in 2020 – Year in Review (Part 2)","author":"Aishwarya Shenolikar","date":"December 28, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Hello Readers! As much as I love blogging about literally anything, I also love blogging about these year-end review posts! Have you checked out the first one? So, this is the second post reviewing the books I read this year! It\u2019s going to be a little different, because why not?\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Book review"","block_context":{"text":"Book review","link":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?cat=2"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Post2B22BHeader2Bedit-2.png?fit=410%2C640&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=54"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=54"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=54"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=54"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}