The Baron in the Trees
by Italo Calvino
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Read in January, 2008
recommended to Mike by:
Ann Kim, Stefano Rastellirecommends it for: Calvino fans, fairy tale
Originally I had read sections of this book in Italian for a class I took while studying abroad. Calvino's sentences and vocabulary can be a bear to translate, especially given the nature of the book; the protagonist, Cosimo, spends most of the novel climbing in various species of tree, and even at the moments of the highest dramatic tension I had to flip through a rather large dictionary to find out that he was traversing a holm oak.
Rereading in English, this fascination with the particul...more
Rereading in English, this fascination with the particul...more
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Read in March, 2008
Three stars is probably unfair to this book, to be honest. It's unbelievably well-written for starters, head and shoulders above almost anything you're going to find in terms of sheer gorgeous sentences.
But in the end, it's one of those books by Calvino that are almost smug in their satisfaction at being "adult fables," and I found that a little disappointing. I think at his best (Invisible Cities, If On a Winter's Night), Clavino can change the way you read and think about the wri...more
But in the end, it's one of those books by Calvino that are almost smug in their satisfaction at being "adult fables," and I found that a little disappointing. I think at his best (Invisible Cities, If On a Winter's Night), Clavino can change the way you read and think about the wri...more
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Read in November, 2007
recommends it for:
book clubs
Fantasy? Utopian literature? Magical realism? Historical-Fiction?
Written in 1957, set in mid-late eighteenth century northern Italy(or whatever that region was known as at that time), narrated by younger brother.
"My brother considers that anyone who wants to see the earth properly must keep himself at a necessary distance from it."
Cosimo Piovasco di Rondo is a member of an aristocratic family attempting to climb further up the aristocratic ladder. Young Cosimo rejects all this a...more
Written in 1957, set in mid-late eighteenth century northern Italy(or whatever that region was known as at that time), narrated by younger brother.
"My brother considers that anyone who wants to see the earth properly must keep himself at a necessary distance from it."
Cosimo Piovasco di Rondo is a member of an aristocratic family attempting to climb further up the aristocratic ladder. Young Cosimo rejects all this a...more
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Read in January, 2007
I was disappointed in this book. I love Calvino's experimental nature and the brilliance of his ideas. His postmodern approach is bold and admirable. However, I think Baron in the Trees was written in the wrong voice -- it takes place (as far as I know, since I didn't finish it) from the POV of the brother rather than the Baron who goes up in the trees to live his life. It should have been 1st- or 3rd-person from the Baron's POV. That would have been more interesting. So: great idea for a book, ...more
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Read in November, 2007
recommends it for:
people who like imaginative stories.
Calvino digs deep into something with this piece, but I'm not really sure what it is. He takes the Cosimo, the tree-dwelling baron, on eccentric adventures and gives him an almost inhuman intellect.
The author packs all kinds of themes/ideas/morals into the relatively short novel, so it was hard for me to decipher what Calvino's 'agenda' was. )Not that everything has to have an agenda, really). Overall, it was a good story about rebellion, belonging, love, revolution, bringing people tog...more
The author packs all kinds of themes/ideas/morals into the relatively short novel, so it was hard for me to decipher what Calvino's 'agenda' was. )Not that everything has to have an agenda, really). Overall, it was a good story about rebellion, belonging, love, revolution, bringing people tog...more
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Read in April, 2008
A baron's eldest son decides, at a tender age, that he wants to live his life in the trees. The first half of the book proceeds as a sort of prolonged thought experiment: how would he survive? Where would he get his clothes? How would he meet girls? How would he get an education? It's whimsical and fun to read. The second half focuses more on the protagonist's fate, as he manages to have an impact on world affairs. It's a great read, smooth and prettily written.
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Read in November, 2007
Booyah! Fantastic Calvino! Definitely the most readable Calvino so far, which, actually, is a plus and a minus. I've gotten used to his books that are bit more 'out there'. Reading this book, while it was a great read and thoroughly enjoyable, was a bit more grounded. Sure it's about a guy who lives his whole life in the trees, but comparatively, it's more...based in reality?...than some of his other books. Nevertheless, it was fantastic and I loved reading it.
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This is not actually the version of this story that I read. I read it as part of a compilation of Calvino's stories. It is the tale of a young man who determines that he will live the rest of his life in the treetops. It was recommended to me by a university professor who gave me the high compliment of saying my story reminded him of this one. Well, he was exaggerating I am certain. Calvino writes beautiful and whimsical stories in an unusual and captivating style.
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Read in January, 1996
recommends it for:
lovers, lifers, dreamers
premise: a young baron refuses to eat "slugs" for dinner, opts instead for a sporting -- if solitary -- life in the canopy surrounding his parents' villa. this was my go-to for "favorite book" for close to a decade. i wrote a love note on EVERY page -- front and back -- just so I could ensure that an ex-girlfriend would read it in its entirety, so she would understand me at least partially. just thinking about il barone makes me want to read it again, right now.
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Read in October, 1999
I originally saw this story as a play in Chicago where the set was filled with trees and trapeezes. This led me to read the book later that year, and I remembered really liking it. However, eight years later, after having lent a copy to Moxie, he and I discussed the love stories therein, and we disagreed quite a bit about what happened and why. Either we each had very different interpretations of this book, or I didn't remember details as much as I hoped.
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Read in May, 2008
I wish I hadn't had to rush right through this book, but it did help me get through what I felt were some slow spots. The language (or at least this translation) is toned and well-chosen and the characters are entertaining in this mildly fantastic tale of a baron in 18th century Italy who decides to take to the trees for the rest of his life. It is the first Calvino I've read and I am confident, after reading this pleasant tale, that I will read more.
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Read in February, 2008
recommends it for:
no one!
I really wanted to like this book. I'd heard so many good things about it and it came highly recommended. But I confess that I just didn't "get" it. I kept reading, thinking surely I would find a worthy theme, remarkable characterization, or something of note, but I never found it. I didn't buy into the premise and found the protagonist to be immaturely stubborn. Sorry to all those of you who think it's wonderful. I wish you could explain why to me!
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Read in July, 2006
This is such a brisk, inventive and joyful book. Calvino is more well-known for his experiments with structure in fiction, like in Invisible Cities and If on a winter's night a traveler but this one is in pretty traditional form. This book gave the same euphoric feeling of discovery I last felt when I was a child and new books were the greatest thing on Earth. I kn
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Read in June, 2007
After an argument with his parents, 12-year-old Cosimo decides to live in the trees and never sets foot on ground again for his entire life.
While I rarely ever use the phrases "delightful romp" or "rollicking good time," I think they both fit this book. I enjoyed it far more than I expected to. Just enough sex and death to keep it from being a children's book - though kids will love it too. C'mon - it's got pirates! What's not to love?
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Read in January, 1992
For those of you who've had bad encounters with Calvino (If On a Winter's Night a Traveler...yawn), never fear! This is a story, not a polemic disguised as one, that will knock your socks off. Cosimo, a young baron-to-be, has enough of his family and escapes into the trees. And never comes down... Yet manages to live a full life of love and philosophy, in full communication with great minds of his day, living on his terms. Sigh.
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Read in July, 2001
recommends it for:
Everyone.
The first chapter of this endearing novel is one of the finest chapters I have ever read. It is in itself a masterpiece of structure. The novel as a whole is so enchanting that I read it 4 or 5 times over the summer of 2001 and subsequently once a year since then. It's one of my favorites because of its value in the art of great story telling, of which Calvino is, of course, a master.
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Read in February, 2008
recommended to Josh by:
Ryan Kellman
I had no idea what to expect from this book going into it, but it's quasi-fantasy/"tall tale" set in 18th Century Italy. Some really awesome moments, but kind of tough to get really into it, and remain that way. The word phrase "historical whimsy" comes to mind. and yet, if I made movies, I think I'd try to make this. Seems like it could be an amazing thing to adapt.
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Read in January, 2008
recommended to Jen by:
Professor Anna Keeseyrecommends it for: Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Coehlo or Saramago fans.
Wonderfully fantastic, with generous detail and whimsy, but enough realism that one thinks "this may have happened..."
About a boy who climbs into a tree after being sent away from the dinner table for refusing to eat his sister's hideous creation, and says he'll never come down again. And so he never does. Told from the point of view of the younger brother.
About a boy who climbs into a tree after being sent away from the dinner table for refusing to eat his sister's hideous creation, and says he'll never come down again. And so he never does. Told from the point of view of the younger brother.
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Read in April, 2007
amazing, such a wonderful, refreshing read... it's set in the italian countryside at the end of the 18th century. the charming narrator tells the story of his older brother's life, all changed at a young age by his decision to defy his father, reject his position as baron, and instead go live in the trees. one of the best books i've read in a long time.
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I just learned Italian kids read this in junior high. Junior high! Damn. And the one I talked to thought it was boring. Kind of like when I read the Great Gatsby in 7th grade and thought it was a chore.
I love this book. I also love the Great Gatsby. And, given the chance, I'd also probably love Danny Williams again, too. And this time, I'd appreciate him!
I love this book. I also love the Great Gatsby. And, given the chance, I'd also probably love Danny Williams again, too. And this time, I'd appreciate him!
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