![]() ![]() One wouldn't think that a book about a sick woman and her snail would be much of a page-turner, but I found myself looking forward to its lovely, quiet discoveries and profound insights with real anticipation. It's hard to describe just how phenomenally well written this book is. Her discoveries about the snail unfold with unexpected delight, and her pages teach us about both the enchanting secrets of mollusks and the psychology of successfully managing a debilitating illness. Over the course of this small book, Bailey learns to care for and relate to this tiny creature whose pace so closely matches her own. ![]() ![]() Both Bailey and the snail were initially confused by this sudden change to their ecosystems, but it wasn't long before Bailey, who lacked the strength to hold a book or watch an assaultively noisy television, found herself mesmerized by her new companion. On impulse, a friend brought her a pot of wild violets and a woodland snail she'd found on a walk. She found herself so weak and dizzy she was barely able to sit up, let alone stand or care for herself, and her doctors had no idea why.īailey's life changed radically at that point, shrinking to a single room almost entirely cut off from the outside world. Upon her return home, the flu symptoms subsided, but her health did not return. Elisabeth Tova Bailey was 34 when she was struck with a mysterious, flu-like illness while traveling in Switzerland. ![]()
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