Not Scarlet but Gold (by Malcolm Saville)

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In re-reading the ‘Lone Pine’ series by Malcolm Saville, I was looking forward to reaching the last seven, which I had very much liked - and re-read regularly - in my teenage years. The reason for this is that the older six Lone Piners, who have remained the same age over several decades of adventures, are now growing a little older, more mature, and more aware of their romantic feelings. ‘Not Scarlet but Gold’ is fourteenth in the series and I last read it in 2010.

In my previous read-throughs I had mostly Armada editions of the series, and had not realised until fairly recently that they are mostly abridged. My copies were somewhat falling apart and I was able to acquire many of them - including this one - in the Girls Gone By editions which have the full, original text. They also have interesting introductions, background information and details of publication - but I was most excited to be re-reading the story.

As with almost any book I have re-read regularly, I recalled some of the basic storyline, but had forgotten most of the detail. I knew it was set in the Stiperstones, with the Lone Piners staying at HQ2, formerly known as Seven White Gates, now just Seven Gates, owned by Peter’s cousin Charles and his delightful wife Trudie. 

I also remembered, vaguely, someone searching for treasure. I’d quite forgotten that this young man, who calls himself John, is supposedly the son of a long-gone German spy who had been dropped in the Shropshire hills during the war.

I had remembered, too, that Peter is a bit upset at the start of the book, and that by the end she and David have declared their love for each other (in a very low-key way, of course; this is teenage fiction from the early 1960s). But, again, I did not remember the details. And it’s a good story; reading in the full edition I appreciated the adventure part of the plot more. More than once I’d thought that some of the books seemed a bit abrupt, and that may be due to the abridging. The story itself hadn’t changed, but a lot of the descriptions and some of the conversations were cut, so there was less character development, less banter, and less background to the walks, explorations and discoveries.

The story is essentially about the Lone Piners discovering that there is some hidden treasure, and deciding they will try to find it. It’s a bit of a daunting task, as it is for John, who has come from Germany to try to discover it, but he manages to find a clue - and the Lone Piners discover the same clue, although it’s a sudden inspiration from one of them that leads to its eventual discovery.

But the finding of the treasure is almost an anti-climax; there’s a very tense situation when David and Peter get trapped in a cave with John during some heavy thunderstorms, and it’s uncertain whether they will get out. John, who has been manipulative and quite cruel, has a bit of an epiphany, which might be unrealistic but it’s encouraging too. His partner in crime, a most unpleasant person called Jem, remains a vindictive bully.

Reading as an adult I’m slightly surprised at the amount of violence that’s either shown or hinted at; Jem’s mother is a very unfortunate person, terrified of her only son, and some of the threats made are quite nasty. The rescue from the cave is also written in such a way that the reader - like the twins - is uncertain what the outcome is going to be. The twins, still mischievous and childish in many ways, have to make their minds up that tragedy may have struck.

It’s a good story, and I’m very pleased to have read the full edition now, which contains some conversations and description that I’m certain I’ve never read before. But it’s also quite dark - there’s a lot of anger; not just from - or directed at - the ‘bad’ guys; Charles, at Seven Gates, becomes very angry with the Lone Piners more than once. Harriet Sparrow, finally made an official member of the club, feels that it’s really not much fun at all, and I can see why.

The final chapter is much as I recalled it, and I can see why as a teenager it all felt so romantic. I suspect that most of today’s teens would find it rather trite. But there are plenty of adults, like me, who read this book in their own teenage years and still enjoy reading and discussing the series.

Recommended if you’re a fan of the Lone Pine books, or possibly for teens of about fifteen or older who like a good, old-fashioned adventure with low-key romance and equally low-key Christian overtones. The GGBP edition is well worth having if you're able to find it at reasonable price, but it's not always in print. If you can't find it, an Armada paperback version still tells the story well.

Review copyright 2022 Sue's Book Reviews