Into this gloomy house comes Viola, who is herself not very intelligent, nor does she have great depth of feeling. But, she has always had a great crush on the Withers' neighbour, Victor Spring, a very handsome and wealthy bachelor and businessman. Victor is just as flawed as everyone else - you won't find a single character in Nightingale Wood who comes across as completely sympathetic; at the very least, they're depicted as a bit of a twit. With Victor, the object of Viola's mad love, he's less than honourable with women:

Drabble, Margaret, ed. (1985). The Oxford Companion to English Literature. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-866130-4. I really like this book a lot because of all the morals behind it. ‘The Secret of Nightingale Wood’ is about a twelve year old girl whose family have moved to the countryside after her mother got ill due to her brother’s death. The ‘Hope House’ that they moved into was holding some secrets and mystery. One of the sweets that Henrietta (the twelve year old girl) discovers is to do with ‘Nightingale Wood’. Henrietta makes many friends along the way; on her mission to cure her mum and also help her magical friends. This has become one of my favourite books because the main character shows a lot of determination when she proves some of the people wrong. I think that, in the future, I will read a lot more books written by this author. Although other critics shared Gibbons's disdain for Morgan, his reputation has been defended by John Bayley, who in a 1985 review of a reprint of Morgan's The Fountain, described the book as "written as beautifully as it is possible for a book to be". [62]

The history of it makes me want to visit a house similar to the Hope House. The language is captivating and bewitching; I would love if there were a sequel. Lucy Strange has been successful in writing a piece of heart-felt literature.

Speaking of a waltz at a charity ball, Gibbons says, “It was an exciting melody, slow and dreamy and strong, with the swaying rhythm beating through it like the sea under showers of foam. . . . People glanced at one another and laughed, and waded into the ocean of music as the moonlit bathers had gone out into the silver-green sea . . . and the dancers dreamed that life was beautiful, in a world toppling with monster guns and violent death.” That description drove me straight to YouTube to listen to the melody (the description was better than the tune, sigh). Safeguarding the built heritage is also important and the listed buildings in or close to the village include Nightingale Farm, Longleaze Farm, Manor Farmhouse, Red House, Church Farmhouse, Gordon Cottage and, of course, the oldest building in South Marston – the church of St Mary Magdelene.

Wildlife and habitats

Montefiore, Janet (May 2006). "Smith, Florence Margaret (Stevie)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Online. (subscription required) Nightingale Wood isn't the book Stella Gibbons is known for but I think it's her best. It's been described as a Cinderella story, but it's so much more. There are two main couples to focus on but it's also about people's individual needs and desires. My favourite part is: my favourite part is when Henry [actually her real name is Henriette Georgina Abbott] found out the person that was making the fire and when she first went in the woods and saw a person that looked like she/he was a witch [well to her]. I read this because I'm crazy about Gibbons's more famous novel: Cold Comfort Farm. Seriously, I'm in love with that book. It didn't mention history that much, so it didn't really let me think of history. I want to read a bit

Hammill, Faye (2007). Women, Celebrity, and Literary Culture between the Wars. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press. ISBN 978-0-292-71644-5.This wood boasts something of a celebrity of the tree world: the incredibly rare native wild pear. It is also home to a profusion of orchids and one of our most stunning spring displays of bluebells. Little wonder it's considered one of the finest woods in Suffolk for its plants.