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Sue's Reviews > The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating
The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating
by
by
Sue's review
bookshelves: nature, bio-memoir, health-healthcare, read-in-2011, plan-to-re-read, my-own-books
Jan 07, 2011
bookshelves: nature, bio-memoir, health-healthcare, read-in-2011, plan-to-re-read, my-own-books
I allowed myself a long and slow read for this small memoir of one year during a woman's lengthy, 20 year convalescence from an unknown virus. That year was made special by the presence of a snail brought in from the woods outside by a visitor. The author, Elisabeth Tova Bailey, was unable to live in her own home at that time, was feeling alienated from life, her surroundings, and felt isolated. This small creature led her to a year of observation, learning, fostering, and companionship. I learned facts I never knew that I wanted to know about the life cycle of the snail. And also I've confirmed a fact I've learned for myself... that the human spirit will find the means if at all possible to sustain itself and that companionship can come in many forms.
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Reading Progress
January 7, 2011
– Shelved
September 29, 2011
–
Started Reading
September 29, 2011
– Shelved as:
nature
September 29, 2011
– Shelved as:
bio-memoir
September 29, 2011
– Shelved as:
health-healthcare
November 11, 2011
–
33.17%
"Reading nice and slowly. Don't want it to end. Though I can always read it again, I suppose, but that's different. Not the same freshness of the first time."
page
69
November 16, 2011
–
54.33%
"who knew the life of a snail could be so interesting and, in some ways, wondrous."
page
113
November 19, 2011
– Shelved as:
read-in-2011
November 19, 2011
–
Finished Reading
May 13, 2015
– Shelved as:
plan-to-re-read
January 28, 2018
– Shelved as:
my-own-books
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by
Sue
(new)
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rated it 4 stars
Oct 15, 2011 12:02PM
It's a great title and a wonderful book. I'm reading it nice and slowly.
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p.12 "I listened carefully. I could hear it eating. The sound was of someone very small munching celery continuously. I watched, transfixed, as over the course of an hour the snail meticulously ate an entire purple petal for dinner."The author was recovering from a serious illness and essentially confined to bed for a long time. She had plenty of time for observing this snail.
She had noticed the snail was eating bites out of paper. She found small holes in note paper, etc., so she fed it petals that had fallen from a violet plant. I've no idea how those taste--and no plan to check.
Thanks Judy. I've been finding over the past year and a half that my GR friends have been wonderful companions for me during the time I've been home. This is something I never would have believed or understood until I experienced it.
"the human spirit will find the means if at all possible to sustain itself and that companionship can come in many forms."So true. I'm ordering this today! Thanks, Sue.
Oh good. I'm so glad you're getting this and will be really glad to hear what you think of it.
Nice review, Sue. I'm rather intrigued by this one.:)
It's a wonderful book, Dustin, and one I intend to read again. It is short, though not something to rush through.
