The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating

Once in a while a read comes along which transcends all expectations and Elisabeth Tova Bailey’s The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating was just such a book for me. … Fabulous, a triumph, and it will remain a favourite forever. – Chris PackhamThis slim, thoughtful book is a miniature masterpiece. * The Independent *A rich meditation on snails and time and habitation and purpose at a time when all other life was out of reach. * Helen Macdonald, author of H is for Hawk *Charming and absorbing. * The Times *Not so much a cure as a self-secreted route to one, while she lay critically ill Elisabeth Bailey’s bedside snail exposed the rich sedimentary layers of her awareness and gifted her the will to live. In an unfussy, meticulous style she has written a finely crafted eulogy to a common woodland snail and a moving endorsement of the human spirit. – John Lister-KayeIf evidence were needed of the healing and enriching power of the natural world, Elisabeth Bailey’s passionate, heart-warming and illuminating little book is definitive proof. * Resurgence *With exquisite delicacy, Bailey doesn’t mention the French enthusiasm for eating them with garlic butter. In fact, if the only time you think about snails is when you storm into the garden to wreak vengeance on them for ravaging your hostas, Bailey’s beautifully written, brief memoir may change your views forever. * Daily Mail *A charming, delicate meditation on the meaning of life. * Kirkus Reviews *Brilliant. * The New York Review of Books *A little gem … I commend [this] book to anyone who has ever had to spend more than a day in bed. – Melanie Reid * The Times Magazine *The moving story of Bailey’s relationship with a wild snail when she is bed-realmed with chronic illness. A fascinating view of the microcosmic landscapes inhabited by both narrator and snail. * Geographical *Lyrical, universal, deeply felt, and with an enormously generous soul, the gently told story grants readers a heightened appreciation for the ever-shrinking, ever-fascinating, secretive parts of our unkempt world. – Alexandra Fuller * Daily Beast *Bailey has involuntarily spent over 20 years coping with restricted movement. This intimate account of her snail-like life challenges readers to seek calm in their own lives. * Library Journal (US) *This book is an ideal present, an anecdotal influence, a remind of what it is to be alive, and most of all, a warm-hearted story of a real person who found her path with the help of one of nature’s smallest creations. * The Middle Way, Journal for the Buddhist Society *This book is beautifully written and is an amazing story of how the human spirit can be so strong, even in the most adverse of circumstances. It is a wonderful illustration of the healing power of nature. * Interaction – Action for M.E. *An astonishing book that portrays a woman who’s incapacitated through illness; she’s lying in bed, can’t move, and someone brings her a flower in a pot and on it is a snail. It’s about her relationship with that snail. The narrative content is limited, but what she does with it is incredible. – Chris Packham * The Guardian: Books that Made Me *The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating is an affirmation of the healing power of nature, revealing much of the world we miss in our busy daily lives, and how truly magical it is. * Country Smallholding *Beautifully observed nature study of a creature most would dismiss as just a step from the slug - by an American author who has M.E. We’re invited to draw the obvious parallels and she pulls it off, elegantly. * ME Association Magazine *This charming little book tells us to slow down, take note and learn from all that’s around us. * New Books Magazine *Bailey’s book is like a snail’s shell, with an unexpectedly touching friendship lying at its centre. Spiralling outwards are meditations on time, purpose and purposelessness, evolution and human survival. * The Oxonian Review *A delightful and unusual tale … beautifully written and meticulously researched. * The Scientific Medical Network *The writing [is] exquisitely tender and so full of insight. I will never look at a snail again in the same light. – Countess Margaret of Mar, Founder of Forward-MEA beautiful little book which is written with a real gentleness and is very enjoyable to read. – Mark Kurlansky, author and journalist

Elisabeth Tova Bailey’s essays and short stories have been published in the Missouri Review, Northwest Review and the Sycamore Review. Winner of the John Burroughs Medal (US) and the William Saroyan International Prize for Nonfiction, she has also received several Pushcart Prize nominations. The essay on which this book is based received a Notable Essay Listing in Best American Essays. She lives in Maine, US.