This is a short book about a woodland snail. More exactly it's about a women who, while bed ridden with a serious illness, gets a plant as a gift and that plant has a woodland snail on it. As she recovers from her illness the antics of the snail amaze, inspire, and bring her a sense of connection to something greater than her illness. It sounds dumb but it's not.
It is not about her illness but rather land snails. What are they like and why do they make a noise when they eat? How do they live, reproduce, and move in all that slime? Did you know baby land snail's first meal is normally their egg shell because it contains calcium, which is often in short supply for land snails? The author becomes a little obsessed with snails and shares the research she does on them while watching "her friend" as she is recovering.
I think the mostly uncovered back story of her recovery adds to the drama of the snail's slow motion life. I learned a lot about land snails. Certainly more than I need to know but I was still engrossed and really enjoyed the book.
Maybe the real point is to remind us how fascinating any little piece of nature can be and how it can inspire and motivate us while putting the our normal day-to-day world back into perspective. Definitely worth your time, in my opinion.
It is not about her illness but rather land snails. What are they like and why do they make a noise when they eat? How do they live, reproduce, and move in all that slime? Did you know baby land snail's first meal is normally their egg shell because it contains calcium, which is often in short supply for land snails? The author becomes a little obsessed with snails and shares the research she does on them while watching "her friend" as she is recovering.
I think the mostly uncovered back story of her recovery adds to the drama of the snail's slow motion life. I learned a lot about land snails. Certainly more than I need to know but I was still engrossed and really enjoyed the book.
Maybe the real point is to remind us how fascinating any little piece of nature can be and how it can inspire and motivate us while putting the our normal day-to-day world back into perspective. Definitely worth your time, in my opinion.
Available from BCPL.