Publication
Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd (2018)
Original publication date
1967
Collections
Subjects
Awards
Australia's Greatest Books (1967)
The Big Jubilee Read (1967 — 1962-1971)
Description
"A 50th-anniversary edition of the haunting novel about the disappearance of three boarding school girls that inspired the acclaimed film--featuring a foreword by Maile Meloy, author of Do Not Become Alarmed It was a cloudless summer day in the year 1900. Everyone at Appleyard College for Young Ladies agreed it was just right for a picnic at Hanging Rock. After lunch, a group of three girls climbed into the blaze of the afternoon sun, pressing on through the scrub into the shadows of the secluded volcanic outcropping. Farther, higher, until at last they disappeared. They never returned. Mysterious and subtly erotic, Picnic at Hanging Rock inspired the iconic 1975 film of the same name by Peter Weir. A beguiling landmark of Australian literature, it stands with Shirley Jackson's We Have Always Lived in the Castle, Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca, and Jeffrey Eugenides' The Virgin Suicides as a masterpiece of intrigue"--… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Lemeritus
Every interpretation of this novel cannot help but displace or destroy an equally 'credible' and fiercely held interpretation. Even Lindsay's own final, 12-page chapter - excised from the book until 1987 and appropriately held separate from the book as it has been known and admired - sits like a
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boulder atop filament. Without that final chapter, readers are free to wonder forever about the fates of Miranda, Marion, and Miss McCraw - each theory at least as plausible as the next and possibly more than Lindsay's own - which is the rarest gift any author can give a reader. Show Less
LibraryThing member lethalmauve
"Everything begins and ends at exactly the right time and place."
Picnic at Hanging Rock's mystery enshrouds its compelling realism with its thin veil as it lingers unavoidably and not distractedly so. Not one to focus on conclusions and closures, but more on impacts and outcomes, the ripples of
As Lindsay describes Hanging Rock as an uncanny beauty which juxtaposes the fathomless danger along its curious crevices, fascinating rock formations and dazzling monolith it's hard not to fall down its edges and find yourself too caught up with the comings and goings. At times, it's a little difficult to accept that this is nothing but a fictional work because Picnic at Hanging Rock incessantly provokes and cerebrally mesmerises.
After countless hours of reading, a lot of tourists actually still visit Hanging Rock. We have this novel to thank for the tourism boost probably ever since it's been published. And more so whenever a tourist yells "Miranda!". Although it establishes the novel's enduring appeal and reputation as a classic, Hanging Rock has a violent aboriginal history. The remembrance of such is not to completely ignore or disassociate Lindsay's work with the distinct rock formation but to broaden our perspective most specially with the aftermath of colonisation. As brutal Lindsay's fiction is, the reality is worse.
Picnic at Hanging Rock's mystery enshrouds its compelling realism with its thin veil as it lingers unavoidably and not distractedly so. Not one to focus on conclusions and closures, but more on impacts and outcomes, the ripples of
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tragedy reverberate from the disappearance of three students and a governess of Appleyard College one afternoon at the Hanging Rock in this unputdownable novel. Everyone's lives, directly or indirectly, are forever changed after. And whilst relationships and reputations are continuously destroyed against the unknowable and unexplainable, the mystery slowly becomes hazy; it turns into a dull ache that pounds repetitively; persistently. And subtly yet fluently, it touches on the suspicious, the shockingly sad, and the almost supernatural.As Lindsay describes Hanging Rock as an uncanny beauty which juxtaposes the fathomless danger along its curious crevices, fascinating rock formations and dazzling monolith it's hard not to fall down its edges and find yourself too caught up with the comings and goings. At times, it's a little difficult to accept that this is nothing but a fictional work because Picnic at Hanging Rock incessantly provokes and cerebrally mesmerises.
After countless hours of reading, a lot of tourists actually still visit Hanging Rock. We have this novel to thank for the tourism boost probably ever since it's been published. And more so whenever a tourist yells "Miranda!". Although it establishes the novel's enduring appeal and reputation as a classic, Hanging Rock has a violent aboriginal history. The remembrance of such is not to completely ignore or disassociate Lindsay's work with the distinct rock formation but to broaden our perspective most specially with the aftermath of colonisation. As brutal Lindsay's fiction is, the reality is worse.
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LibraryThing member ElleGato
Ahh this was so good and weird and creepy!!
I admit I'd not heard of this book (or the movie it inspired) until a few days ago. When I read a brief summary it immediately sounded like something in my aesthetic wheelhouse and I was not disappointed. It's my first Australian gothic and I was
This was such a great book and now I need to see the movie to complete the experience
I admit I'd not heard of this book (or the movie it inspired) until a few days ago. When I read a brief summary it immediately sounded like something in my aesthetic wheelhouse and I was not disappointed. It's my first Australian gothic and I was
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incredibly intrigued by how landscape and emptiness and silence were utilized by the author to provide a backdrop to the story. The girls are portrayed both lovingly and almost frightfully, as if they're both human and goddess at the same time. The relationships are fraught with unsaid tension that, at times, seems homoerotic in nature. The far-ranging effects of the picnic are drawn with an almost breathless sense of unease. This was such a great book and now I need to see the movie to complete the experience
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LibraryThing member stillatim
Just as Wuthering Heights, a work of social satire and horror, is often thought be a love story, so PaHR, often said to be a work of horror, is really a smart, light comedy in the vein of Midsummer Murders. I did not expect that. Obviously the film has had quite an effect, not only on my
Far more interesting than that, as our narrator insists over and over again, is the effect the disappearance has on those who are even only slightly touched by it. Those of weak heart will be glad to know that the good are rewarded, and the evil are punished, with only a couple of exceptions, and the unwinding of that plot is well worth following. It's very funny, very biting, occasionally romantic, and even more homo-erotic than the you'd expect given the already rather homo-erotic premise. If I was inclined to be grandiose (okay, I am), I'd say the novel was intentionally written to show the victory of providential love (as represented in the patterns of the plot) over romantic love (after all, the girls disappeared on St. Valentine's day).
Also, Lindsay has an extraordinary ability to move between the registers of her characters' speech. In a book that is so much about social class, that's quite a gift to have.
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expectations, but also the expectations and experiences of other readers; from many GR reviews, you wouldn't know that the girls' disappearance is completed by page 47. What follows is a very mid-century British kind of thing, albeit with some occasional reminders that the plot is kicked into motion by the mysterious but hardly existentially terrifying disappearance of some women who get lost climbing a rock in the Australian wilderness. Far more interesting than that, as our narrator insists over and over again, is the effect the disappearance has on those who are even only slightly touched by it. Those of weak heart will be glad to know that the good are rewarded, and the evil are punished, with only a couple of exceptions, and the unwinding of that plot is well worth following. It's very funny, very biting, occasionally romantic, and even more homo-erotic than the you'd expect given the already rather homo-erotic premise. If I was inclined to be grandiose (okay, I am), I'd say the novel was intentionally written to show the victory of providential love (as represented in the patterns of the plot) over romantic love (after all, the girls disappeared on St. Valentine's day).
Also, Lindsay has an extraordinary ability to move between the registers of her characters' speech. In a book that is so much about social class, that's quite a gift to have.
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LibraryThing member john257hopper
This is a re-read of this classic Australian mystery novel, prompted by watching the current BBC TV series. When I first read it 13 years ago, I thought it was less good than the superbly atmospheric 1975 film version, as I was somewhat bored by the doings of the more minor characters, which I
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thought distracted from the tightly plotted horror and suspense. This time round, I felt those elements melded together more organically to add to the mystery and sense that the events set off by the disappearance of Miranda, Marion and Miss McCraw are like ripples from a stone thrown into a pond. Excellent stuff, and the fact that the mystery remained unsolved in the published version was undoubtedly the right decision. Show Less
LibraryThing member megbmore
Simultaneously eerie and precise, I found myself wrapped up in this book, right from the author's note in which Joan Lindsay writes: "Whether Picnic at Hanging Rock is fact or fiction, my readers must decide for themselves. As the fateful picnic took place in the year nineteen hundred, and all the
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characters who appear in this book are long since dead, it hardly seems important." It's the type of book you can read yourself into and get lost, just like the girls. Show Less
LibraryThing member KarenLeeField
I watched the movie in the 1980s and was captivated by the mysterious music and scenes. When I saw the audiobook in my local library, I was quick to grab it. There are always big differences between books and movies, in my opinion. But while the movie version of Picnic at Hanging Rock dropped the
The book (or audiobook, in this case) had that same mysterious feel about it. It’s difficult to explain because the story is a mystery, so it should be mysterious. But that’s not what I mean. There’s a feeling, a strange eeriness, a haunting feeling that radiates from the pages. It’s in the flow of words, in the movements of the characters, in every chapter, on every page.
The author describes everything, even the ants scurrying to safety. I usually don’t like this amount of description, however Picnic at Hanging Rock is built around the descriptions and feelings of the location and characters. That’s what made it a success, I believe.
During the telling of the story, we get a good indication how strict the rules were and we get a taste of “class” in 1900. Here’s another story that shows us how lucky we are now and hard it would have been then.
The characters are whimsical and laid back to begin with, but as the story progresses we see the darker side of the characters coming out. What happened to the missing girls and their teacher? Who was involved? They storyline shows how the trauma from what happened on that fateful day can change people, changing their lives forever.
I enjoyed the movie and I enjoyed the book. Again, I believe the book is better as those side themes give a deeper telling and if you allow yourself to be swept away, you’ll find yourself totally engrossed in the mystery of Hanging Rock.
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side themes, it stayed true to the book for the most part.The book (or audiobook, in this case) had that same mysterious feel about it. It’s difficult to explain because the story is a mystery, so it should be mysterious. But that’s not what I mean. There’s a feeling, a strange eeriness, a haunting feeling that radiates from the pages. It’s in the flow of words, in the movements of the characters, in every chapter, on every page.
The author describes everything, even the ants scurrying to safety. I usually don’t like this amount of description, however Picnic at Hanging Rock is built around the descriptions and feelings of the location and characters. That’s what made it a success, I believe.
During the telling of the story, we get a good indication how strict the rules were and we get a taste of “class” in 1900. Here’s another story that shows us how lucky we are now and hard it would have been then.
The characters are whimsical and laid back to begin with, but as the story progresses we see the darker side of the characters coming out. What happened to the missing girls and their teacher? Who was involved? They storyline shows how the trauma from what happened on that fateful day can change people, changing their lives forever.
I enjoyed the movie and I enjoyed the book. Again, I believe the book is better as those side themes give a deeper telling and if you allow yourself to be swept away, you’ll find yourself totally engrossed in the mystery of Hanging Rock.
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LibraryThing member arubabookwoman
This is subtle psychological fiction in which the wild, unknown Australian landscape of the early 20th century stands in stark contrast to the veneer of civilization and primness of a small town and how it is affected by the mysterious disappearance of 2 girls and a teacher. The novel begins with
This book has a dreamy and mysterious atmosphere. The descriptions of nature are lush and lyrical. The descriptions of the characters are astute, precise, and evocative. I saw the movie years ago (it is excellent), and perhaps in the back of my mind I had the idea that reading the book might clear up some of the mysteries the movie left unsolved. Not so. The mystery remains a mystery, and that is the best way to read this book.
Apparently the author's first version of the book did provide a solution for the disappearance, but her editors insisted that it be deleted. Lindsay agreed, but specified that the chapter solving the mystery could be published after her death. It is now published and can be searched out and read. However, all the reviewers who read the solution whose reviews I read felt that it really affected the quality of the book, and not in a good way.
Recommended
3 1/2 stars
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an outing on Valentine's Day 1900 to Hanging Rock. Twenty students at the genteel girl's boarding school Appleyard College for Young Ladies are accompanied by two teachers on the outing. Three girls and a teacher decide to take a short hike, and they all mysteriously disappear without a trace. (One of the girls is discovered a couple of days later, but is unable to shed any light on what happened.)This book has a dreamy and mysterious atmosphere. The descriptions of nature are lush and lyrical. The descriptions of the characters are astute, precise, and evocative. I saw the movie years ago (it is excellent), and perhaps in the back of my mind I had the idea that reading the book might clear up some of the mysteries the movie left unsolved. Not so. The mystery remains a mystery, and that is the best way to read this book.
Apparently the author's first version of the book did provide a solution for the disappearance, but her editors insisted that it be deleted. Lindsay agreed, but specified that the chapter solving the mystery could be published after her death. It is now published and can be searched out and read. However, all the reviewers who read the solution whose reviews I read felt that it really affected the quality of the book, and not in a good way.
Recommended
3 1/2 stars
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LibraryThing member ivydtruitt
It’s not hard to see why PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK is a classic. The central mystery, what happened to the girls and the math teacher on the rock, is still a puzzle to this day.
Even more interesting is the aftermath of their disappearance. The effect on those left behind, and the sole survivor, is
Disquieted best describes how I felt during and after reading PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK.
However, I would caution against reading the foreword in its entirety. When she recommends stopping, please do. A lot of my reading pleasure evaporated after reading the ending the author alludes to in several scenes. These incidents stand alone fine without the original ending, thank goodness.
Reviewed for Miss Ivy's Book Nook Take II
Even more interesting is the aftermath of their disappearance. The effect on those left behind, and the sole survivor, is
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an encapsulated study of human nature; and it's not always pretty or noble.Disquieted best describes how I felt during and after reading PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK.
However, I would caution against reading the foreword in its entirety. When she recommends stopping, please do. A lot of my reading pleasure evaporated after reading the ending the author alludes to in several scenes. These incidents stand alone fine without the original ending, thank goodness.
Reviewed for Miss Ivy's Book Nook Take II
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LibraryThing member amandabrent
I read the book after seeing the movie, and let me tell you, the movie did not impede on the book at all. If anything, it enhanced my reading experience. The sensuous and carnal undertones make it very deep and one that will not be forgotten long after read. It keeps you coming back for more,
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making more guesses as to what the fate was of the three girls on Hanging Rock...Definitely worth the buy if out of print! The movie is HIGHLY recommended as well. Show Less
LibraryThing member samantha.1020
As soon as I read Lesley's (A Life In Books) review of this book, I knew that I had to pick it up. It just sounded like a book that I had to read and right away. And when I opened up the book and read this I knew that I had made the right choice.
"Whether Picnic at Hanging Rock is Fact or Fiction,
Don't you just love that? I mean I was intrigued from the start after reading that and am happy to report that this book didn't disappoint. First though I should give you a brief (and I mean VERY brief) summary of what the book is about. Picnic at Hanging Rock begins with a group of young girls that are away at a boarding school going away for the day with two of their teachers to Hanging Rock. The story is about the events that happen while the girls are at Hanging Rock and everything that happens afterwards. And that is all that I can tell you since I think that you should go into this like I did not knowing very much.
Let me tell you that I was engrossed within this novel. The atmosphere that this author creates is creepy and tense. I was constantly trying to figure out what was going on, what had happened, etc. I flew through this book which suprised me as this is an older novel which usually takes me a bit longer to read. But the pages just kept turning because I wanted..no I needed to see what had happened. My only quibble is very minor and that was the ending. It just wasn't what I expected so at first I'll admit to being a tiny bit disappointed. When I thought about it though I decided I liked it more than I thought and on the whole really enjoyed this book.
Bottom Line: Read this book if your in the mood for a book filled with atmosphere that is slightly creepy!
"Whether Picnic at Hanging Rock is Fact or Fiction,
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my readers must decide for themselves. As the fateful picnic took place in the year nineteen hundred, and all the characters who appear in this book are long since dead, it hardly seems important."Don't you just love that? I mean I was intrigued from the start after reading that and am happy to report that this book didn't disappoint. First though I should give you a brief (and I mean VERY brief) summary of what the book is about. Picnic at Hanging Rock begins with a group of young girls that are away at a boarding school going away for the day with two of their teachers to Hanging Rock. The story is about the events that happen while the girls are at Hanging Rock and everything that happens afterwards. And that is all that I can tell you since I think that you should go into this like I did not knowing very much.
Let me tell you that I was engrossed within this novel. The atmosphere that this author creates is creepy and tense. I was constantly trying to figure out what was going on, what had happened, etc. I flew through this book which suprised me as this is an older novel which usually takes me a bit longer to read. But the pages just kept turning because I wanted..no I needed to see what had happened. My only quibble is very minor and that was the ending. It just wasn't what I expected so at first I'll admit to being a tiny bit disappointed. When I thought about it though I decided I liked it more than I thought and on the whole really enjoyed this book.
Bottom Line: Read this book if your in the mood for a book filled with atmosphere that is slightly creepy!
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LibraryThing member rizeandshine
I really like the unsolved mystery of this story but I must admit that the film adaptation actually improves on the original, develops characters, heightens the haunting, creepy feel and makes the story come alive for me. I almost gave the book 4 stars but realized that I was rating the book on my
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feeling for Peter Weir's excellent movie. If I had read the book prior to seeing the film, I don't think I would have enjoyed it near as much as I did. Show Less
LibraryThing member sallysvenson
This turns up on all the “best books” of Australia list, I was heading for Australia, and it sounded like a good read. It was not to be found through any American book source, however, so I went looking for it in Australia when I got there. The clerk at an impressively large bookstore in
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Hobart, Tasmania, told me that while, yes, the book is considered an Australian classic, their store doesn’t carry it as it is so “twee”--a British/Australian word that apparently means “affected” or “overly precious”--and she didn’t think I would find it elsewhere. I did, but I must say that I agree with her choice of adjectives. The story, which is centered in a private girls’ school in 1900, is loaded with atmosphere, but it is presented as a mystery, and I didn't find a mystery without a resolution, which this is, particularly satisfying. Show Less
LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50
Picnic At Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay is a novelization of a actual strange event that happened when a group of Australian teachers and schoolgirls went on a picnic on Valentine’s Day of 1900. Some of those attending the picnic were destined to never return, and to this day, no one really seems
Perhaps it is to the author’s credit that she refrained from speculation or sensationalism but I felt the absence of any motive or sense of direction hurt the story. Using only the facts known made the disappearance of three students and one teacher very frustrating. The investigation was doomed from the start as witnesses were allowed to wallow in hysteria and certain facts were concealed to save embarrassment such as the fact that the one girl who was found days later was missing her corset. To speak of corsets was out of the question in these rigid Victorian times. The two main witnesses were never questioned closely due to one’s hysterical reaction and the other’s apparent lack of memory of the event.
This was an intriguing read and the author set the sinister atmosphere from the start giving the reader the feeling that there was a sense of purpose or an orchestration going on behind the scenes. Altogether Picnic At Hanging Rock was a short, eerie and slightly frustrating read. I am however glad that I read this book even though my curiosity was not to be satisfied with a direct answer.
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to know what happened after they walked into the bush with the plan on climbing the rock.Perhaps it is to the author’s credit that she refrained from speculation or sensationalism but I felt the absence of any motive or sense of direction hurt the story. Using only the facts known made the disappearance of three students and one teacher very frustrating. The investigation was doomed from the start as witnesses were allowed to wallow in hysteria and certain facts were concealed to save embarrassment such as the fact that the one girl who was found days later was missing her corset. To speak of corsets was out of the question in these rigid Victorian times. The two main witnesses were never questioned closely due to one’s hysterical reaction and the other’s apparent lack of memory of the event.
This was an intriguing read and the author set the sinister atmosphere from the start giving the reader the feeling that there was a sense of purpose or an orchestration going on behind the scenes. Altogether Picnic At Hanging Rock was a short, eerie and slightly frustrating read. I am however glad that I read this book even though my curiosity was not to be satisfied with a direct answer.
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LibraryThing member debnance
It’s 1900. A group of college girls goes on a picnic at a nature area. Some of the girls and one of their teachers do not return. It’s a mystery.
It doesn’t end there. Bad things continue to happen, long after the original event, bad things that are all loosely tied to the event. It’s a
So glad I read this little book. It’s short, but thoughtful, with beautiful writing and an interesting premise. Recommended.
It doesn’t end there. Bad things continue to happen, long after the original event, bad things that are all loosely tied to the event. It’s a
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mystery.So glad I read this little book. It’s short, but thoughtful, with beautiful writing and an interesting premise. Recommended.
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LibraryThing member Edwinrelf
This book is about the relationship budding between the young English nobleman and the Australian stable hand. The disappearance of the math teacher and the girls on the rock is just an allusion to intangibles and gaps in the order of things - loops in the space time continuum. With this happening
Had Lindsay's publisher left in the last chapter when the book went to press, the thrust of the book would have been clearer. Things hanging in space as per Botticelli's' Mystical Nativity' and being caught in a cave by an errant boulder would have stopped the distraction of a mystery disappearance. - The novel would not have sold anywhere near as many copies - but it would have been understood better as a gay male romance novel written by a fiesty woman; of a Mary Renault type.
At the beginning there is the little precursor of the quality of the love relationship between Sarah and Miranda. While staid readers would just dismiss that as a schoolgirl crush, as the book goes on it is clear that it was far more profound to Sarah. As the book goes on we also uncover the relationship between Sarah and Albert and all sorts of hidden wonderments as to Albert's name changing father and the happen-chance benefactor to Sarah.
Is this a good book? Well, it really is more a description of a painting and Lindsay gives that clue very early on noting the real painting. There is the reality too that she was first a painter, as was her husband, and as were many of her family. She was after all the niece of Minnie Boyd and the cousin of Merric and his brood of brilliant artists who have become by-words for art in Australia. The story is loaded with symbols that a painter would put into a picture which would carry with them backstory to illustrate what is going on in the picture e.g. poppies that have a heavy sent (?), the sailor made mermaid tattoos on Albert, the white swan in the lake (pond), ticking (or stopped) timepieces throughout, and many others.
Joan Lindsay was herself from a very liberal artistic and legal family. She married into another one - medical and artistic. She wrote novels rather than paint so as not to compete with her artist husband. As well she was close to her cousin Martin Boyd who was gay (or at least a-sexual) and who wrote a string of superb novels several of which had to do with Melbourne society from the mid 19th to early 20th century on either - of note 'The Monforts' and 'Lucinda Braford'. (For me, Martin Boyd is one of Australia's foremost writers.) This book is in a familiar landscape for Joan Lindsay and it is also a foray into something risky yet something that needed to be said in 1960's Melbourne an Australian society at the time. Unfortunately it missed its mark a the time.
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in the first few pages is a good clue to this not being what the book is really about. More telling is what happens at the end of the book when a way is found for the Honourable Michael and the honest Albert find a way to go off together and with integrity in the public eye. Their love is masked by propriety.Had Lindsay's publisher left in the last chapter when the book went to press, the thrust of the book would have been clearer. Things hanging in space as per Botticelli's' Mystical Nativity' and being caught in a cave by an errant boulder would have stopped the distraction of a mystery disappearance. - The novel would not have sold anywhere near as many copies - but it would have been understood better as a gay male romance novel written by a fiesty woman; of a Mary Renault type.
At the beginning there is the little precursor of the quality of the love relationship between Sarah and Miranda. While staid readers would just dismiss that as a schoolgirl crush, as the book goes on it is clear that it was far more profound to Sarah. As the book goes on we also uncover the relationship between Sarah and Albert and all sorts of hidden wonderments as to Albert's name changing father and the happen-chance benefactor to Sarah.
Is this a good book? Well, it really is more a description of a painting and Lindsay gives that clue very early on noting the real painting. There is the reality too that she was first a painter, as was her husband, and as were many of her family. She was after all the niece of Minnie Boyd and the cousin of Merric and his brood of brilliant artists who have become by-words for art in Australia. The story is loaded with symbols that a painter would put into a picture which would carry with them backstory to illustrate what is going on in the picture e.g. poppies that have a heavy sent (?), the sailor made mermaid tattoos on Albert, the white swan in the lake (pond), ticking (or stopped) timepieces throughout, and many others.
Joan Lindsay was herself from a very liberal artistic and legal family. She married into another one - medical and artistic. She wrote novels rather than paint so as not to compete with her artist husband. As well she was close to her cousin Martin Boyd who was gay (or at least a-sexual) and who wrote a string of superb novels several of which had to do with Melbourne society from the mid 19th to early 20th century on either - of note 'The Monforts' and 'Lucinda Braford'. (For me, Martin Boyd is one of Australia's foremost writers.) This book is in a familiar landscape for Joan Lindsay and it is also a foray into something risky yet something that needed to be said in 1960's Melbourne an Australian society at the time. Unfortunately it missed its mark a the time.
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LibraryThing member SashaM
I took a few pages to really get into this on but once I did it was hard to put down. This is an Australian classic for a good reason. Set in 1900 the issues it raises are still very relevant today. The disappearance of 3 girls and a teacher at Hanging Rock near Bendigo result in a series of events
Lindsay manages to evoke the sense of isolation that the Australian bush can give as well as set the time (written in 1967 story set in 1900).
The fact that there is no resolution to the story is much more real-world than many mystery stories that I have read recently. So often the author wants to tie everything up in a bow or set something up for a series. But in real life people go missing, there is no resolution, and that event will continue to affect their friends, family and by-standers for the rest of their lives.
I read somewhere that Joan Lindsay originally had a final chapter that did resolve the mystery but at the insistence of the publisher this was never printed - I think that this was a good call: Solved, this story would have never had the staying power to last as long as it has. Unsolved: This mystery will play in your head long after you finish it
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affecting the lives of all the people in the area that day. Lindsay manages to evoke the sense of isolation that the Australian bush can give as well as set the time (written in 1967 story set in 1900).
The fact that there is no resolution to the story is much more real-world than many mystery stories that I have read recently. So often the author wants to tie everything up in a bow or set something up for a series. But in real life people go missing, there is no resolution, and that event will continue to affect their friends, family and by-standers for the rest of their lives.
I read somewhere that Joan Lindsay originally had a final chapter that did resolve the mystery but at the insistence of the publisher this was never printed - I think that this was a good call: Solved, this story would have never had the staying power to last as long as it has. Unsolved: This mystery will play in your head long after you finish it
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LibraryThing member DameMuriel
The movie is amazing and the book is excellent. There are additional details about some of the characters in the book that did not make it into the movie. I didn't find any of the extra details in the book to be superfluous to the plot but I can see why they were left out of the film version. I saw
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the film first and it was nice to read the book and find out more about the characters and how one tragic event drastically altered their lives. The girls going missing on the rock is the pivotal event in the book that connects all the seemingly unrelated threads of the story. Show Less
LibraryThing member Cherylk
The foreword by Maile Meloy was filled with some interesting back history about this book. In regards to how the author came up with the concept for the story and the "famous" ending to this story. Which I have to say, I am mixed in regards to my feelings on the ending. On one hand I thought the
While, I did find this story interesting, I found the characters only mildly interesting themselves. There were not one character that I really connected with. Thus it kept me from truly committing to this story all the way. Despite all of this, I did find this book to be a quick read. Additionally, I want to check out the movie that this book inspired.
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concept for the true ending was intriguing but at the same time, I found the missing ending to provide more intrigue and I liked that it left the ending to the imagination of the reader.While, I did find this story interesting, I found the characters only mildly interesting themselves. There were not one character that I really connected with. Thus it kept me from truly committing to this story all the way. Despite all of this, I did find this book to be a quick read. Additionally, I want to check out the movie that this book inspired.
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LibraryThing member madepercy
I recall seeing the movie many years ago, but apart from the mysterious scene where the young women disappear, there was no trace of a story in my memory to influence my reading. The final page left me tingling. The story is rather creepy in a fatalistic way. Yet it is very good and I am pleased to
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have embarked upon my journey through Australiana literature. Show Less
LibraryThing member bcquinnsmom
I saw this movie on IFC maybe two years ago & was sucked into the screen completely. When I realized there was a book, I bought a copy from a store called Aussie Books so that I could have a nice clean copy. I started this book last night and stayed up through the wee hours of the morning to finish
Now the actual story: On Valentine's Day, 1900, several of the girls who were boarders & students at Mrs. Appleyard's College for Young Ladies, accompanied by a few staff members, went for an outing at a local geological phenomenon called Hanging Rock. Three of the senior girls, Irma, Miranda and Marion, followed by another girl that no one really liked, Edith, received permission to explore the rock out of sight of the picnic grounds, where all of the rest of the girls & the staff were. They decided to climb the rocks, but something happened which sent Edith running down hysterical and panicked. A search was made of the area but none of the senior girls were found and the party realized that the mathematics teacher was missing as well. The driver of the buggy took everyone back to the school; the police were called and an investigation was made. A little later, a local man and his uncle's groom decided to go looking for the missing girls; they found Irma, battered and bruised, nails broken & dirty but otherwise okay, laying out on a rock ledge. She had no remembrance of any of the events, however. No other traces were ever found & the girls & the math teacher just vanished. That's the event; the rest of the book focuses on how this one event came to cause ripples just like those caused by dropping a rock in the middle of a pond and the ripples moving ever outward and getting larger.
Don't even try to think about solving this one...the event may be nagging at you the entire time, but it is not really meant to be solved. The novel is really about events set into motion because of the girls' disappearances.
Excellent; most highly recommended.
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it. It was most excellent! Definitely recommended but with the caution that if you don't like things left hanging, you're not going to enjoy this book. Me, I'm a firm believer that there are (even in the fictional world) things that are just mysteries and should be left that way. To make a solution apparent to the reader might have cheapened this book...because while the disappearance of the girls and the math teacher at Hanging Rock was the focal point of the story, the real story was the consequences of the disappearance and the effects felt by many throughout the story.Now the actual story: On Valentine's Day, 1900, several of the girls who were boarders & students at Mrs. Appleyard's College for Young Ladies, accompanied by a few staff members, went for an outing at a local geological phenomenon called Hanging Rock. Three of the senior girls, Irma, Miranda and Marion, followed by another girl that no one really liked, Edith, received permission to explore the rock out of sight of the picnic grounds, where all of the rest of the girls & the staff were. They decided to climb the rocks, but something happened which sent Edith running down hysterical and panicked. A search was made of the area but none of the senior girls were found and the party realized that the mathematics teacher was missing as well. The driver of the buggy took everyone back to the school; the police were called and an investigation was made. A little later, a local man and his uncle's groom decided to go looking for the missing girls; they found Irma, battered and bruised, nails broken & dirty but otherwise okay, laying out on a rock ledge. She had no remembrance of any of the events, however. No other traces were ever found & the girls & the math teacher just vanished. That's the event; the rest of the book focuses on how this one event came to cause ripples just like those caused by dropping a rock in the middle of a pond and the ripples moving ever outward and getting larger.
Don't even try to think about solving this one...the event may be nagging at you the entire time, but it is not really meant to be solved. The novel is really about events set into motion because of the girls' disappearances.
Excellent; most highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member AmaliaGavea
”He reminded himself that he was in Australia: Australia, where anything might happen. In England everything had been done before: quite often by one’s own ancestors, over and over again.”
Two years ago, I watched a film based on the book by Joan Lindsay. A month ago, I watched a marvelous TV
Mrs. Appleyard is the formidable headmistress of a school for girls of the upper classes in Australia. They are taught how to behave and how NOT to think in order to become good wives. This should be their only aspiration in life. During a picnic on St.Valentine’s day, three senior students, Miranda, Irma, and Marion are lost. So is one of the teachers. They disappear in the area of the Hanging Rock, a place where mystery and wild beauty co-exist. What happened to the girls? What is happening in the school? Why such severity and absolute lack of compassion? What secrets does Mrs. Appleyard hide?
There are moments of breathtaking beauty in this novel. The descriptions of the natural environment, the nightly scenes dedicated to the characters’ actions are absolutely fascinating. However, the dialogue leaves a lot to be desired, in my opinion. My main complaint is the lack of development of any kind. There was no development in the characters which is a pity since most of them surely hide quite a lot of secrets. From the teachers to the students, the claustrophobic environment that exists side by side with the beautiful, threatening, unruly nature provided a unique setting that I felt was wasted in endless descriptions of the life of the two young men of the story that were completely useless. No wonder that I enjoyed the film and TV versions so much more than the novel…
It’s such a pity, really…There was so much potential and at times, the writing was remarkable. Like a mist and a storm…However, upon reading the last page, I was underwhelmed and disappointed…
Two years ago, I watched a film based on the book by Joan Lindsay. A month ago, I watched a marvelous TV
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series adaptation of the same novel. Both versions were eerie, dark, atmospheric. I’ve always wanted to read Picnic at Hanging Rock and the opportunity came with the Movie Night discussion in Zuky’s wonderful group ”The BookBum Club”. Unfortunately, the result left me disappointed…Mrs. Appleyard is the formidable headmistress of a school for girls of the upper classes in Australia. They are taught how to behave and how NOT to think in order to become good wives. This should be their only aspiration in life. During a picnic on St.Valentine’s day, three senior students, Miranda, Irma, and Marion are lost. So is one of the teachers. They disappear in the area of the Hanging Rock, a place where mystery and wild beauty co-exist. What happened to the girls? What is happening in the school? Why such severity and absolute lack of compassion? What secrets does Mrs. Appleyard hide?
There are moments of breathtaking beauty in this novel. The descriptions of the natural environment, the nightly scenes dedicated to the characters’ actions are absolutely fascinating. However, the dialogue leaves a lot to be desired, in my opinion. My main complaint is the lack of development of any kind. There was no development in the characters which is a pity since most of them surely hide quite a lot of secrets. From the teachers to the students, the claustrophobic environment that exists side by side with the beautiful, threatening, unruly nature provided a unique setting that I felt was wasted in endless descriptions of the life of the two young men of the story that were completely useless. No wonder that I enjoyed the film and TV versions so much more than the novel…
It’s such a pity, really…There was so much potential and at times, the writing was remarkable. Like a mist and a storm…However, upon reading the last page, I was underwhelmed and disappointed…
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LibraryThing member Amzzz
In the early 20th Century Australia, a rich girls' boarding school goes on a picnic to Hanging Rock in the Australian Bush. Some will never return...
A good concept for a book, and the start and end were both pretty good, but the in between bits were ever so boring, and some events seemed a little
A good concept for a book, and the start and end were both pretty good, but the in between bits were ever so boring, and some events seemed a little
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LibraryThing member Amsa1959
Finally, I got round to read this story that has haunted me for many many years. I saw the movie for about 35 years ago and have been thinking of it now and then over the years. I think I was hoping to get some answers but I didn´t get any. That is the secret of this story´s success - that there
Interesting characters, strange nature, past times and this very strange mystery makes this the classic novel it is.
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is no summing up, no solution to the mystery. Interesting characters, strange nature, past times and this very strange mystery makes this the classic novel it is.
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LibraryThing member john257hopper
This is one of those rare times when the book is actually less good than the film adaptation. A good quarter or more of the book is taken up by the doings of minor characters with no direct relevance to the story, which takes away from the tightly plotted horror and suspense.
Language
Original language
English
Other editions
Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay (Paperback)