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david66's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
4.0
This is a wonderful little book. 'Gentle' is how I'd describe it. It's the true story of a young women who contracts an unknown debilitating virus and becomes bedridden. One day a friend brings her a pot plant within which a snail has hidden. Over time she cares for the snail, learns all about them and comes to depend on it to keep her sane. I wanted to read this because I was interested in snails (and there is a lot of fascinating snail facts given), but it turns out the human story is just as engaging. Highly recommended as a quick read.
nerdygnome's review against another edition
4.25
What a beautiful homage to nature and to slowing down in life! While Elisabeth Tova Bailey's slowing was by all means involuntary thanks to her severe illness, she does a wonderful job of showing us the depth and wisdom that we can gain from this changed pace of life. I am a fast reader and often breeze from one book to the next, but I found that while absorbed in The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating, even my reading sank to the speed of a snail — and I loved every slow minute of it. I will admit that I did get a bit bogged down in some of the factual information about snails (and yet deeply fascinated by some tidbits — 2,640 teeth?! What!), but it was easy for me to skim through these short chapters whenever they weren't fueling me. It was the author's observations on the snail's behavior that I found most endearing and enchanting. I highly recommend this little book for a breath of fresh air and a unique perspective on life.
laurenmichellebrock's review against another edition
5.0
I’ve read this twice: the first time in college and again earlier this year. A slow-burning tale of a bedridden woman who goes on a vast adventure of research about the gastropod. It’s much more charming and beautiful than it may sound. She presents her findings in a literary way that gives her experience with an unsuspecting snail a touching narrative.
katiegilley's review against another edition
5.0
“Illness isolates; the isolated become invisible; the invisible become forgotten. But the snail….the snail kept my spirit from evaporating.”
“My bed was an island within the desolate sea of my room. Yet I knew that there were other people home-bound from illness or injury, scattered here and there throughout rural towns and cities around the world. And as I lay there, I felt a connection to all of them. We, too, were a colony of hermits.”
“A last look at the stars and then to sleep. Lots to do at whatever pace I can go. I must remember the snail. Always remember the snail.”
Sorry for all of the quotes, but this was such a beautiful little book! When the author contracted a viral bacterial disease on a brief European holiday, her life changed forever. Before her illness, she lived an active life on a farm in Maine. There are times throughout her illness, which has a cyclical nature that is expected to continue throughout her life, that she can barely turn her head. One day, a friend gifted her with a wild snail in a flowerpot and this snail brought the author an infinite source of wisdom.
This book brilliantly intersperses fascinating nuggets of information about the life of snails with Bailey’s own self discoveries. This was a captivating reading experience because it was part memoir, part field journal, and part scientific research – a wonderful combination!
“My bed was an island within the desolate sea of my room. Yet I knew that there were other people home-bound from illness or injury, scattered here and there throughout rural towns and cities around the world. And as I lay there, I felt a connection to all of them. We, too, were a colony of hermits.”
“A last look at the stars and then to sleep. Lots to do at whatever pace I can go. I must remember the snail. Always remember the snail.”
Sorry for all of the quotes, but this was such a beautiful little book! When the author contracted a viral bacterial disease on a brief European holiday, her life changed forever. Before her illness, she lived an active life on a farm in Maine. There are times throughout her illness, which has a cyclical nature that is expected to continue throughout her life, that she can barely turn her head. One day, a friend gifted her with a wild snail in a flowerpot and this snail brought the author an infinite source of wisdom.
This book brilliantly intersperses fascinating nuggets of information about the life of snails with Bailey’s own self discoveries. This was a captivating reading experience because it was part memoir, part field journal, and part scientific research – a wonderful combination!
maryallain's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
4.0