Online Book Club Session 3

16 members, some new to the Book Club, joined the discussion about the third Lone Pine book, which moves the adventures to Rye and introduces Jon and Penny Warrender, who are living in the Gay Dolphin hotel with Jon's mother.

The Mortons arrive on holiday and soon there is a mystery! Suspicious characters, secret passages and buried treasure all feature in this tale.

Why do so many Saville fans love this book? Although there was some minor dissent, the vast majority of those present saw The Gay Dolphin Adventure as their favourite Lone Pine book, citing the plot and the development of the storyline, as well as the new characters, as very positive elements.

Many also felt that Penny was their favourite Lone Piner: an attractive and feisty character, with a strong personality and many other strengths and interesting features. There was much discussion about whether we can see at this early stage why she is still such a popular character amongst Lone Pine readers? 

The fact that there was no Peter, Tom or Jenny - and the fact that the Mortons don’t appear for quite some time - enables a greater focus on the two new characters. The relationship between cousins Jon and Penny was discussed at length - Jon being described as ‘boring’, a ‘geek’, ‘more immature than Penny’ by some, but very much liked and admired by others. The language he uses towards Penny also featured - belittling her? affection? or disguising his true feelings? Certainly a complex relationship that can be viewed in many ways and will develop as the series progresses.

The trio of villains, and members’ reactions to them, proved interesting - with one member recalling being quite scared as a child, as the story progresses.

Did members feel the move to Rye works well for the embryonic Lone Pine Club? Does the Sussex landscape compare favourably with Shropshire? Most of those present praised the way Saville describes the setting, possibly because it was so familiar to him, unlike Shropshire, where descriptions are more fluid and imprecise - though it was also pointed out that Rye Harbour was located on the wrong side of the estuary! Some of those present preferred the Sussex books to the Shropshire ones, though a couple felt that Shropshire represented the true soul of the Lone Pine Club, referring to Mystery at Witchend, Seven White Gates and Wings over Witchend in particular.

The important role of the adults was discussed, seen as more integral to this story than some later.

Our next online book group meeting will move us to another important Saville series: The Buckinghams. We will be focusing on The Master of Maryknoll.