I picked “The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating” by Elisabeth Tova Bailey up last year at a book fair at my local library. This slim volume has sat on my shelf waiting for an opportune few moments to browse it. I decided to give it a go last night and was enraptured from the first page.
Two words describe this book: charming and enchanting.
When Elisabeth Tova Bailey contracts a virus that leaves her bedridden with an auto immune disease, a friend brings her an unusual present: a flower pot of woodland violets and a small snail.
On the surface a book about snail watching hardly seems interesting, but Elisabeth’s observations paired with interesting scientific information about gastropods turns this book from an oddity into a delightful, beautiful, soul enriching book.
“The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating” is a gentle, moving, read. You will find yourself with tears in your eyes at times.
Highly recommended.