The Neglected Mountain (by Malcolm Saville)

(Amazon UK link)

I first came across the ‘Lone Pine’ series by Malcolm Saville when I found the earliest books on my grandmother’s shelves as a child. I managed to collect a few, and then as a teenager gradually acquired the re-published Armada paperback versions, not realising they were abridged. ‘The Neglected Mountain’ was one I particularly liked; I last read it in 2009. I was pleased to have reached it again in my current re-read of the series, now that I have a full ‘Girls Gone By’ edition.

The story involves the six Shropshire members of the Lone Pine club. David Morton is now sixteen, as is Peter (Petronella) Sterling, and in this book they start to be aware of each other in a new way. They’ve been close friends for a long time (even though the author deliberately doesn’t age them as fast as chronology would dictate) but suddenly David realises how very attractive Peter is - and she’s aware that she would do anything for him. Nothing is said, but the seeds are set, towards the end of the book, for the future.

But I’m jumping a long way ahead. The story starts at the end of another adventure, when Peter goes home to her father, prior to returning to school. She is shocked to find a stranger in her home; he seems to be very confused and has no idea where he is, or even - at first - who he is. Her father turns up with another stranger, and they learn that the two were involved in a crash landing, though neither was seriously injured. Peter finds this very disturbing, and writes to David about it, but he doesn’t reply, and she goes back to school assuming that’s the last of it.

The main part of the book then begins when Peter, David, David’s twin siblings Richard and Mary, and their friends Tom and Jenny meet to discuss what they’re going to do. They decide that they’d like to visit a local fair a few days later, and also see Trudie, a young woman who has just become engaged to Peter’s cousin Charles. Since they like a challenge, they decide to go in three different groups, by three different routes. And to make it more interesting, they ask David’s father to organise routes for them.

Mr Morton takes this quite seriously, and arranges instructions and meals for each pair, who leave at different times, with a kind of race, although only Dickie and Mary really care about winning. On their journeys, they have different encounters: Tom and Jenny come across a friend’s dog who is unhappy, apparently blind. Dickie and Mary meet an old friend who’s a detective, and are shocked when a passer-by in a car asks to buy their beloved dog Macbeth. Worse, Mackie seems to want to go with the stranger.

David and Peter have the longest journey, and towards the end of it they find a crying boy who has lost his dog. He is convinced the dog has been kidnapped, and they promise to help…

Naturally, all their experiences turn out to be linked.  There are two ‘baddies’, although one of them is a geeky kind of scientist rather than a seriously bad guy. And there are a lot more adventures to be had, near a mountain where they previously discovered a cave, and also in a town. Unlike some of the previous stories there’s no serious danger involved, other than a nasty fall in the cave, but it’s still a well-written and exciting book.

Unlike some of the earlier books, I didn’t find whole sections of the story that were new, or considerably expanded in the full edition. ‘The Neglected Mountain’ was abridged well, missing out some of the more thoughtful passages, and some of the dialogue that didn’t much add to the story (although it certainly contributes to the character development), but keeping the plot and all the important conversations including the ones between Peter and David, towards the end of the book which indicate the possibility of romance in the future. As I recalled, there are some very moving scenes.

The Armada editions of these books are quick reads, less than 200 pages. In the full edition there are nearly 280 pages of text and I liked the fact that it felt complete, rather than wishing it were longer. There’s an interesting introduction, as there is with most of these GGBP editions, with notes about the locations used as well as the publishing history.

Although all these books stand alone, it’s best to read them in order; I’d recommend reading at least ‘Seven White Gates’, before this one, and ideally also ‘The Secret of Grey Walls’. They tend to be pricey on Amazon, but can sometimes be found at better prices on social media marketplaces, or other second-hand bookshops (on or offline).

I’m already looking forward to the next in the series, which I expect to read in about a month’s time.

Review copyright 2021 Sue's Book Reviews