Beautifully written, this book reads like poetry. An ode to the common woodland snail, it elevates the slimy little suckers to a whole new, oddly poignant, level.

A remarkable little work of non-fiction that reminds us of the inspirational wonders of nature without anthropomorphizing or being too sentimental. Take the time to read it, at a snail's pace.

Bailey weaves the story of her illness and subsequent snail watching with snippets of snail biology, winsome passages from 19th century naturalists, up to date science and poetry devoted to the snail into an charming utterly charming book. A meditation on her gastropod companion's behavior becomes a revealation on long term illness and fatigue. I would recommend this book to anyone: -interested in snails (obviously) or in the observation of animals -dealing with illness, fatigue or helplessness -trying to understand someone with those conditions -looking for hope, encouragement or comfort -looking for a good read I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

This little memoir is crammed with astonishing mollusk facts as well as detailed observations of an incredible creature’s daily routine. Did you know that a snail can skip? NPR interview with author Elisabeth Tova Bailey: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129475625