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Picnic at Hanging Rock (Hanging Rock, #1)

Joan Lindsay

Start date: September 1, 2022

Finish date: September 30, 2022

Discussion: New School Classics- 1915-2005

Why we're reading this: September 2022 New School Classic Group Read
[close] September 2022 New School Classic Group Read

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New School Classics- 1915-2005

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What Members Thought

Sep 28, 2022 RJ - Slayer of Trolls rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Although we are necessarily concerned, in a chronicle of events, with physical action by the light of day, history suggests that the human spirit wanders farthest in the silent hours between midnight and dawn. Those dark fruitful hours, seldom recorded, whose secret flowerings breed peace and war, loves and hates, the crowning or uncrowning of heads.

This fictional story about the mysterious disappearance of three young ladies and a governess from a Valentine's Day picnic at Australia's Hangi ...more

37 likes · Like · see review

Mar 07, 2015 Terri rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: mysteries, historical-fiction

On Valentine's day 1900, young women from an Australian boarding school go on a picnic at the Hanging Rock. 3 Girls and a teacher disappear mysteriously. A week later, a young man finds one of the girls on a ledge with no memory of the events.

I had originally seen the movie based on this novel a few years ago and really enjoyed it. It was a great mystery with no resolution and a hint that maybe something otherworldy may have occurred.

The author says in the book that it doesn't matter whether it ...more

8 likes · Like · see review

Sep 11, 2010 Laura rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-books, read-2010, read-2018, book-and-movie, hf-australia, australian-fiction

Picnic at Hanging Rock is a classic mystery, made famous by Peter Weir's 1970s film.

This new interpretation goes back to the original story, recreating the strong underlying sense of horror and supernatural that resonate in Joan Lindsay's novel. Starring Penny Downie, Fenella Woolgar and Simon Burke, this radio version features music from award winning composer and producer Jon Rose.

On St Valentines day, 1900, a party of schoolgirls and two governesses set off for a treat; a picnic at the geolog ...more

6 likes · Like · see review

Nov 20, 2023 Ann rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: borrowed-from-library, historic-fiction, bingo2023

This had a slow start, but after the titular picnic, the characters got a lot more interesting, and the general feeling of unease increased.

But the mystery was never wrapped up, and everything was left wide open for the reader to wonder about or decide for themselves. This Penguin edition had an introduction that gave some spoilers, which it warned the reader of, and which I went and read after. The spoilers actually gave me a better sense of closure and elevated my opinion of the book.

2 likes · Like · see review

Oct 10, 2016 Cait rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-and-suspense, historical-fiction, class-icks, down-under, audio, read-in-2016

Either I didn't read the same book as everyone else, or it was a HUGE mistake to listen to it on audiobook. I'd love to get my hands on a paper copy and give it another go, but I'm in no hurry. ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Apr 23, 2021 Nadine in NY Jones rated it it was ok

Shelves: fiction, classic, is-it-real-or-is-it-memorex, era-mid-late-1800s, mystery, era-early-1900s, pub-in-1967

I didn't hate this, and sometimes I even enjoyed this, and I wanted to love it, but the writing had a very odd style. Perhaps the formatting of my kindle book made things worse, I do not know, but I felt like there were no transitions between scenes, and I was often confused. Sometimes I was bored. A short little book of this size should not have taken me 15 days to read!

There seems to be a wonderful writer deep inside Lindsay gifting us with gorgeous passages like: