Try free for 30 days

  • The Hidden Life of Trees

  • What They Feel, How They Communicate - Discoveries From a Secret World
  • By: Peter Wohlleben
  • Narrated by: Mike Grady
  • Length: 7 hrs and 34 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (2,611 ratings)

1 credit a month to use on any title, yours to keep (you’ll use your first credit on this title).
Stream or download thousands of included titles.
Access to exclusive deals and discounts.
$16.45 a month after 30 day trial. Cancel anytime.
The Hidden Life of Trees cover art

The Hidden Life of Trees

By: Peter Wohlleben
Narrated by: Mike Grady
Try for $0.00

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $42.99

Buy Now for $42.99

Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.

Publisher's Summary

A forester's fascinating stories backed by the latest scientific research illustrate how trees nurture and talk to each other. Are trees social beings?

In this international best seller - which has sold more than 320,000 copies in Germany alone - forester and author Peter Wohlleben convincingly makes the case that, yes, the forest is a social network. He draws on groundbreaking scientific discoveries to describe how trees are like human families: tree parents live together with their children, communicate with them, support them as they grow, share nutrients with those who are sick or struggling, and even warn each other of impending dangers.

Wohlleben also shares his deep love of woods and forests, explaining the amazing processes of life, death, and regeneration he has observed in his woodland. After you have heard The Hidden Life of Trees, a walk in the woods will never be the same again.

©2016 Peter Wohlleben. Published by arrangement with Black Inc. (P)2016 HarperCollins Audio

Critic Reviews

"The matter-of-fact Mr. Wohlleben has delighted readers and talk-show audiences alike with the news long known to biologists that trees in the forest are social beings." ( The New York Times)
"In this spirited exploration, [Wohlleben] guarantees that readers will never look at these life forms in quite the same way again." ( Library Journal)

What listeners say about The Hidden Life of Trees

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,766
  • 4 Stars
    556
  • 3 Stars
    201
  • 2 Stars
    43
  • 1 Stars
    45
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,654
  • 4 Stars
    403
  • 3 Stars
    115
  • 2 Stars
    28
  • 1 Stars
    18
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,494
  • 4 Stars
    463
  • 3 Stars
    181
  • 2 Stars
    39
  • 1 Stars
    38

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The Hidden Life of Trees is delightful audible experience

This book gently portrays trees as beautiful, contributing, functioning, generous, and an altogether delightful part of our collective world. I haven’t enjoyed a book so much in a long time.
Thank you Peter Wohlleben. It was also read with passion, in a perfect, gentle, interesting tone by Mike Grady. Thank you Mike. Thank you Audible for making it possible for me to listen to it on my smart phone.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fascinating

The content of this book is fascinating. I was vividly left with a sense of the personality and livelihood of trees. I learned very much and don’t think I will be able to walk through a forest in quite the same way again. The narration of this audiobook is probably the most articulate and best quality I have heard of any audiobook. The content is extremely accessible for any age or level of understanding. This book is highly recommended.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

mind blown

tree's are way way way more amazing than I originally thought - go hug a tree they deserve it

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Very interesting and relaxing.Loved it!

Story was interesting, narrator was great, I learnt alot from listening. You won't be disappointed.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Hidden gem

Loved this book. Have always loved trees but now understand more about them. Narrator is great..could listen to him read the back of a cornflakes packet!! This is great.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic

A must read
I have always respected trees but even more now
wonderful read
loved it

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

What about the world outside the US?

Fascinating book, but why use Imperial measures that are not understood by the majority of the globe. For goodness sake, even the UK (who invented the system) has junked it as ridiculous, and metric is widely used in scientific circles in the US.

Anyway, I found the book quite thought provoking, and it confirmed things I had observed about trees, for instance the use of odour to trigger reactions.

I would recommend this book to friends, particularly if they are into gardening or nature lovers.


Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Beautifully written, researched and spoken.

Beautifully written, researched and spoken. Grateful to Peter Wohlleben to write this magnificent tome, in a language that is scientific fact, observational and accessible to the greater community. Mike Grady's reading of it was perfectly suited to the old growth forests.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Mind blowing

Loved it. The narration was relaxing and the information was simply mind-blowing. I have a renewed level of respect for nature.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A fascinating view of trees as part of a real community

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I had read something of the symbiotic relationships between particular trees and certain fungi but had no idea of the extent of cooperation and the interconnections that exist in forests. The reader is excellent too.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.