Lone Pine Five

Lone Pine #5

by Malcolm Saville

Each of the Lone Pine Stories, which is complete in itself, is set amidst English countryside which you yourself can visit.

This is number five in the series, the protagonists of which are David Morton, Richard ("Dickie") Morton and Mary Morton (twins), Petronella ("Peter") Sterling, Tom Ingles and Jenny Harman.

Here they investigate old Roman remains in Greystone Dingle, near Barton Beach.

Genres: Childrens, Mystery, Fiction, British Literature

Paperback

First published January 1, 1949

About the author

Leonard Malcolm Saville was an English author best known for the Lone Pine series of children's books, many of which are set in Shropshire. His work emphasises location; the books include many vivid descriptions of English countryside, villages and sometimes towns.

(wikipedia)

Reviews

[Gerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Lone Pine Club comprises David Morton, Richard ("Dickie") Morton and Mary Morton (twins), Petronella ("Peter") Sterling, Tom Ingles and Jenny Harman and in this tale they are searching for Roman relics in the countryside around Greystone Dingle, which is near the homes of some of the Lone Pine members at Barton Beach.

The story begins when Tom buys Jenny an old silver spoon at an auction. When the auction is over an old man asks Jenny if he can purchase the spoon from her but as she was given it as a present, and she also liked it very much, she was not prepared to part with it.

The old man, whose name turned out to be Mr Wilkins, persists but with no success. So he decides to tell Jenny and Tom that he feels there are Roman relics in the hills around Greystone Dingle and that the spoon could well be one of the artefacts that were buried there. As a consequence Jenny and Tom enlist the club members to go searching for treasure.

Meanwhile Mr Wilkins is taken away by a nasty family called Smithson and the five come across them in their caravan while on their way to the search area. It seems that the Smithsons are up to no good and when Dickie queries what is happening to Mr Wilkins Jenny answers, 'It's funny how we get mixed up with crime,' which they always seem to do in any of their adventures.

This story follows the same pattern and various encounters with the Smithsons end up with trauma for the gang and then when they reach Greystone Dingle they get caught in a tremendous rainstorm, so much so that they take shelter in a cave, which is one of their headquarters. Disaster strikes while they are there and three of the party need rescuing from a raging underground river that they discover and fall into.

They also continue to search for Roman relics and when a mosaic floor is uncovered by the raging torrent, they realise that they are in the right area. More nastiness occurs with the Smithsons and their son, who none of the five take a liking to, before Mr Wilkins and the others discover that they were correct in thinking that there were treasures buried in the area.

Everything eventually turns out for the best and Mr Wilkins joins the club members and their families in a celebration of the event as they plan what to do with their finds.

The story is a pleasant one and, while not all blood and guts, does keep the reader interested with the action that does take place ... and at the conclusion, the Lone Pine Five are forewarned by two occasional members of the Lone Pine Club, Jonathan and Penelope ("Penny") that they will soon be needed to investigate another mystery ...

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fifth adventure in the 'Lone Pine' series for teenagers. I don't suppose today's teenagers would be very interested in this innocent adventure story of the mid twentieth century. But I grew up on them, and love to re-read every so often. I've now acquired the 'Girls Gone By' full edition, which is considerably better than the abridged versions.

It's a reasonably exciting story involving six of the Lone Pine club, a likeable elderly man, and three distinctly unpleasant strangers. One or two unexpectedly moving moments. Good light reading, and while it stands alone it's best to have read at least one or two of the earlier books in the series beforehand.

Longer review here: https://suesbookreviews.blogspot.com/...

[Shauna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not up to the usual standard I have come to expect from the Lone Pine series. Just when the adventure began to get interesting it ended. What a let down.

[Selaya Morton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a couple of things to say in this "review." First, of course, my continuing discovery of the enjoyment my stepfather attained from these books. This one is no different. An interesting setup followed by an equally interesting plot line. I, myself, have been interested in the history of the part of Shropshire described within. Folk Tales, Legends and actual history should not be discarded or ignored simply because time marches on. We all live in parts of the world which generate myths and stories. I love it!

My second point is this: this might well be the last review I post on Goodreads. This is because I recently discovered that this site is now owned by Amazon. I hate Amazon, Google, Microsoft and every other incarnation of that ilk. Allow me to choose my reading material and you'll have my vote. I DON'T own a Kindle and am never likely to, but am technically able to convert to Kobo if I wish. Keep your damned advertising away from my email! It seems a little ironic that here we are, eighty-five years later, battling new dictators who would like to start a war. Anyone else catch my drift?

[Greyscotty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining to say the least. I have always liked this story and it never disappoints. The heroism of the characters at the end only goes to show how much stock Malcolm Saville put in that particular quality. The action is, as usual, enhanced by Bertram Prance's superb illustrations. I count myself supremely lucky to have come across this First Edition.

[Linda · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have had this book in my children’s book collection for 50 years and hadn’t read it until now. While the characters in the story are familiar from other books in the series they didn’t endear themselves to me. Particularly Dickie and Mary who exhibit bullying behaviour that is not acceptable by today’s standards. It was an implausible story at every turn.

[Kate Merlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved these books as a child

[Stuart Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

What my Dad read growing up. Well written but very much of its time.

[Tim Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not quite as good as I fondly remember, but still a pleasant tip down memory lane.

[Helen Meads · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exciting (if dated) children’s adventure. I read it to find out what could have inspired Ella Griffiths and Mick Herron.

[Deborah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Probably my least favourite Lone Pine, possibly because the twins break the usual pattern and are the ones doing the kidnapping for a change (although they are themselves briefly taken hostage earlier in the story). It's just all a bit weird - possibly Malcolm Saville was too good at depicting the rather grim Greystone Dingle where much of the action takes place (usually in the rain, which doesn't help). And I know Jenny is a bit loopy, but really - wearing a dirty old spoon on a ribbon as a necklace?

There are no criminals as such but this is not actually a welcome change, because instead there is the oddball Mr Wilkins, and the really unpleasant Percy and his family - a group that prompt the Lone Piners to be uncharacteristically unpleasant back. The plot is a bit of an unbelievable combination of treasure hunting and natural disaster, and it's all over astonishingly quickly. Really not the best.

[Sue Law · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the few of these that I could afford to buy as a child and thought I'd reread this one. It's a bit scrappy and probably not the best.
Tom buys Jenny an old spoon at a pub auction. An old man asks to look at it and tells her it may be ancient and valuable. Later they come across the old man being bullied by a family in a caravan and Jenny vows to help him.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enough Lone Pine Club for now