We've got your back. With the Tough-O-Meter, you'll know whether to bring extra layers or Swiss army knives as you summit the literary mountain. (10 = Toughest)
(6) Tree Line
If you stick with a good translation, the toughest thing about this work is the length. The stories are wickedly funny (most of the time), hugely bawdy, and irreverent. Boccaccio does get philosophical about his haters from time to time, which raises the "plow" factor. But these bursts of impatience feel intimate, like medieval water-cooler gossip, and shouldn't bring you down too much.