The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating

The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating This little book of 184 pages I digested at one sitting. I couldn't put it down. From the opening quote of Florence Nightingale that "A small pet is often an excellent companion" to the farewell cameo from "Snails and Their Houses", 1888 about love-making among snails (sorry, but you will have to read the book yourself to find what was said there) the narrative held me spellbound. I thought I knew a good deal about snails, but this little book opened my eyes to a whole new world of discovery about terrestrial snail behaviour.This is a true story. The author, Elisabeth Tova Bailey, was confined to bed with a debilitating and fluctuating chronic illness that she has fought for over two decades. During one year of this time she became intrigued with the behaviour of a snail that had taken up residence in a small potted plant that a friend had brought her as a present and which was placed next to her bed. Her fascination in the snail's midnight wanderings and reactions to small morsels of different foods introduced into its environment makes for fascinating reading. We are taken on a journey of discovery that includes observations of a hole that appeared overnight in an envelope she had propped against the base of a lamp. How could a hole - a square hole - appear in an envelope over-night? Then she thought about the nocturnal activ-ity of her snail and reasoned that it must have some kind of teeth, "and it wasn't shy about using them". Intrigued to learn more, she offered the snail some real food, some withered blossoms, and stayed awake over several evenings making observations with her torch. In this way she introduces the reader to what we as malacologists know as the radulae. But she goes further with her observations, further than most of us have gone. She listened carefully and could hear it eating! "The tiny, intimate sound of the snail's eating gave me a distinct feeling of compan-ionship and shared space.....The snail and I were both living in altered landscapes not of our choosing; I figured that we shared a sense of loss and displace-ment....After weeks of round-the-clock companion-ship, there was no doubt about the relationship: the snail and I were officially cohabiting...Whereas the energy of my human visitors wore me out, the snail inspired me". Wanting the snail to have a safer and more natural home she later moved it from the flow-erpot into a fresh terrarium where it thrived on por-tobello mushrooms and hatched its offspring. And so we learn about snail courtship and spiral mating, its sophisticated method of scent tracking, "the mac-romolecular architecture of molluscan mucus", tele-scopic tentacles, snail shell spiral assymetry, and more. Eventually, all the snails were returned to their native habitat. Elisabeth Bailey made her snail obser-vations for over a year but continued her research for several more years as is evidenced by the valuable list of Selected Sources (books and articles for fur-ther reading) provided at the end of the book.I would venture to say that few of us have heard the sound of a wild snail eating. Now you can. The author has a web site (...) where she has posted a 4 min 30sec YouTube video that al-lows you to view and listen to the sound of a snail eating !I recommend you buy two copies of this little book; one to read yourself and one to pass on to someone who does not even LIKE snails. You will both find you want to learn more about these fasci-nating creatures

This a beautifully written, little GEM of a book. The author, Elizabeth Tova Bailey, is stricken with a strange illness that has sapped her strength, she is too weak to do anything besides lie in bed. Reading, watching TV, visiting with friends—all of these are too draining for her to do. One day a friend brings her a pot of violets with—of all things—a snail in it. The mere idea of the responsibility for this is almost overwhelming for Elizabeth, but the quiet, slow, peacefulness of the snail gradually wins her over. What started as a bizarre unwanted gift became her main focus and companion.Elizabeth is an excellent observer of nature, and her growing interest in the snail leads her to learn all she can about them. The book switches back and forth between Elizabeth's history that lead up to her illness, her current life and snail story, and everything she learns about snails in general—which is fascinating. I am not a fan of snails, and this book made me want to have one as a pet. This is proof of good writing! Snails are hermaphrodites, for one thing. They can meet, mate, and both snails can later lay eggs. But if there's no love to be had, snails can be do without, and fertilize themselves and lay eggs. Elizabeth's snail lays several clutches of eggs which eventually hatch into the almost microscopic teensy new snails.Before that, the pot is exchanged for a large aquarium, and the snail's territory expanded to include a small rotten log, moss, pine needles, ferns, bark with lichens, and other materials taken from the woods outside (the natural environment of the snail). Despite no voice or mammal-type facial features, the snail is able to communicate well with regards to what it likes and doesn't like. The author describes it as a “tireless and fearless explorer” as it makes its rounds inside and out of its area.Other books, both fiction and non-fiction, are referenced. Some notables include the poem by A. A. Milne (of Winnie the Pooh fame) who wrote about a snail named James who journeyed (with a compass) from one of a brick to the other. Another was the horrifying story The Quest for Blank Claveringi, about giant, man-eating snails who slowly but relentlessly trail their prey. Non-fiction includes everything from Aristotle's writings about snails, to an old children's book call Odd Pets. The snail's teeth, grooming habits, and food needs are charmingly discussed.The entire book is fascinating and leaves you with an appreciation for a creature that most of us ignore or even dislike. The author takes something that probably creeps most people out, and makes it downright irresistible!!

In summary, The Sounds of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey is a memoir about the author, being bedridden and accompanied by a wild snail. What kept her in strive was her curiosity and interest in the snail she kept in a terrarium. I must say this is not a memoir for everyone, unless you're a snail enthusiast. The chapters are filled with captivating moments of her snail grazing on portobellos, producing slime, estivating during the summer months, laying eggs, and more. There's ample information on mollusks in general. Although not apparent, the chapters provide unique perspectives and golden nuggets (or writings) about life and purpose. One of my favorites is "Survival often depends on a specific focus: a relationship, a belief, or a hope balanced on the edge of possibility. Or something more ephemeral: the way the sun passes through the hard, seemingly impenetrable glass of a window and warms the blanket, or how the wind, invisible but for its wake, is so loud one can hear it through the insulated walls of a house." The isolation and dependence between Bailey and her snail created a society of their own. After reading, it is certainly wild (pun intended) to reflect on the underappreciated things in life and how they contribute to our living. Overall, I enjoyed reading Bailey's intimate connection with her snail. Bailey does a great job in comparing her conditions and struggles to her snail. Information about mollusks was excessive but I think it shows Bailey's passion and love for nature and her companion.

Before writing this review I had a quick scan of the 1,2 and 3 star reviews, more out of curiosity than anything else, because it baffled me how anyone could low star this book. Basically, those who did those reviews didn't *get* the very deep nature of the book; possibly because they had themselves never been in such a life-changing situation, possibly because they could not comprehend the almost spiritual connection the author had to the snail.There is much that is relevant to someone living with a chronic condition or illness that limits your ability to have what is called a *normal* life (as I do, for what that's worth). The need to connect to the natural world in a slow, gently paced way. The sanctity of life, even small lives like that of a snail, and the sheer wonder of life generally.I'd been making mossariums (terrariums made with moss) because I'd been struck by the beauty and wonder of moss and a friend suggested this book for that reason. I am glad she did. It's superb.

I was unsure whether I would enjoy this book (I always read one and two star reviews) but bought it anyway on the recommendation of an American friend. I am so glad I did. It is a beautifully written account of the author's encounter and cohabitation with a snail given to her by a friend. How the snail brightened the bedridden author's days and enlivened her interest is a wondrous thing. Her gentle humour shines through her writing and her intelligent enquiring mind is like a beacon in the darkness. Maybe you have to love snails, which I do, but I did not find it at all boring; in fact the opposite!

Elizabeth Tova Bailey was struck down by a mystery illness which left her bedridden. A friend brought her a violet, with a passenger - a small snail. This book is the story of that snail's life, and the things the author learned about snails as she got to know her small friend.I think this is a bit of a marmite book. If reading about a snail's sex life, for example, sounds like something you'd only do on pain of death, this is probably one to avoid. It's slow, gentle, informative, contemplative; Tova Bailey clearly did masses of research on snails, and there are masses of fascinating facts to be learned. For someone like me, who is interested in stuff like this, it was engrossing, if slightly disgusting at times... I'm no big fan of snails, and sometimes when talk of slime got too much I had to put the book down! I certainly have more respect for and interest in them now than I did when I started, though.It's also a fascinating insight into chronic, crippling illness. For those who have suffered in similar ways, as I have, it's a comfort to know "it's not just me", and I think this book will give those who've never been chronically ill a little insight into what it is like being confined to a house, a room, or even a bed for long stretches of time.Overall, I wouldn't call this a must-read, and it's definitely one to "look inside" before purchasing, but personally I enjoyed it. It was a book I dipped into over the course of several months. The writing style is gorgeous, the snippets from poetry and scientific books are apt, and the information is really interesting.

This is a fantastic book!It's so well written that I actually wanted to find out what happens next - If you'd told me I'd be reading a book about a snail and desperate to know what happened to it, I'd have said you were mad, but the author draws you into her world and describes things so beautifully, you are compelled to keep reading.It made me want to go out and find a snail so I could study it too. There are so many fascinating facts that I never knew about snails, such as how many teeth they have - amazing!I was sad when I got to the end as I wanted the book to go on and on. That's due to the wonderful way it's written, as well as the subject matter.I thoroughly recommend it.

Wow, just speechless.A remarkable experience, for the author and the reader. The ease and fluidity of the writing is gorgeous.Things I loved:The atmosphere of the authors life before, during, and recovering from her illness.The research into snails and her snails life.I’ve learnt so much from this book. I was a snail lover before, but after reading this book I’m now even more enthralled by their incredible lives and ancestry.Things I don’t love:People who don’t read this book. No seriously, you need to read this book. Even if you think it isn’t your type of thing, please give it a try.