The Baron in the TreesThe Baron in the Trees
Score Classic
What it's about
Cosimo, an 18th-century Italian nobleman, rebels against his family by climbing into the trees and staying there for the rest of his life.
Why it's worth reading
It's on the Guardian's list of 1,000 novels everyone must read. It's a playful fable built on one wonderfully strange idea.
You'll love it if you liked
Invisible Cities
The Princess Bride
One Hundred Years of SolitudeGood to know
It's short and light on its feet. It's a translation from Italian.
By the numbers
- Readers59 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics30 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller20 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #243 of the 504 fantasy books we rank
- #536 of the 924 classics we rank
- #1691 of the 3,057 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Adventurous
More by Italo Calvino
If you like this, read next
The Lord of the Rings
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Godfather
The Hobbit
The Pillars of the Earth
FoundationExplore the best-of lists
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Quick answers
Is The Baron in the Trees worth reading?
Yes. It's on the Guardian's list of 1,000 novels everyone must read. It ranks #1,691 of the 3,057 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 67.5 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Baron in the Trees about?
Cosimo, an 18th-century Italian nobleman, rebels against his family by climbing into the trees and staying there for the rest of his life.
How long does it take to read The Baron in the Trees?
About 6 hours (228 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Baron in the Trees?
If you liked it, try Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino, The Princess Bride by William Goldman or One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez.