A review by georgiewhoissarahdrew
Nightingale Wood by Sophie Dahl, Stella Gibbons

2.0

If this hadn't been written by Stella Gibbons, I think I'd have rated it more highly. But the power of the Brand is such that I judge NW by CCF - and it just doesn't measure up. There are some delightfully cutting remarks, and some pleasant enough scene-setting. But. Part of the problem is that none of the characters are particularly sympathetic - or, at least, every scene that might elicit some sympathy for one person or another is followed by an antidote. That can work well enough if there is a thorough-going villain against whom everyone can unite, but Mr Wither, set up initially as a domineering mysogynistic puritanical Mr Punch, is sadly marginalised. So, while this wasn't a completely wasted afternoon, I'd hoped for more.