BOOK OF THE BI-WEEK: The Baron in the Trees by Italo Calvino

How the back-cover blurb reads to the 1959 Harvest/HBJ Edition:

"Long considered in Europe to be Calvino's finest work, The Baron in the Trees is yet another example of this brilliant Italian writer's gift for fantasy. Set in the eighteenth century, it tells the story of Cosimo, a young Italian nobleman, who rebels against parental authority by climbing into the trees and remaining there for the rest of his life. He adapts efficiently to an aboreal existence - hunts, sows crops, plays games with earthbound friends, fights forest fires, solves engineering problems, and even manages to have love affairs. He also has more time to read and think. His proposal for "an Ideal State in the Trees" is acknowledged by Diderot, and Napoleon pays him homage. From his perch in the trees, Cosimo sees the Age of Voltaire pass by and the dawning of a new century. By now he is old and infirm, but his ending is as graceful and unusual as his life has been."

I'll start reading anything someone suggests. If I manage to conquer my A.D.D. and actually finish the book, it's a high compliment to the author. The Baron in the Trees is one of those books. I probably won't ever read it again, for very few books receive that distinction, but the fact I finished this one means that I recommend it. I doubt that will happen much over the course of the year. I hope I'm wrong. But try me. I'll give you the link to someone else's suggestion at least....