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A review by unawake0442
Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I didn't hate this book. I thought I would after the first 50 or so pages, but it did pick up, especially toward the end. I just don't think I need that many descriptions of the Australian bush. I also think the writer truly detests most of her characters. She cannot stop calling Edith an idiot or body-shaming her. Actually, multiple characters are told they're stupid, cold, or otherwise not good enough.
The narrator specifically is so interesting (not necessarily in a good way) because I kept thinking, "Who is this?" They make judgments on the characters as if they were there, but they are also omniscient, but also keep breaking the fourth wall. There are mentions of how something isn't worth explaining now or actually this will illustrate the point. I just about lost it when the narrator said, "So the last paragraph was a metaphor for this."
I do think part of the problem is knowing the truth behind the story (no spoilers here, the foreword also goes into this, though I knew beforehand). Maybe if I hadn't I would have enjoyed it more? I guess we'll never know.
Final note, if I drank every time the book makes fun of Edith, I'd be dead.
The narrator specifically is so interesting (not necessarily in a good way) because I kept thinking, "Who is this?" They make judgments on the characters as if they were there, but they are also omniscient, but also keep breaking the fourth wall. There are mentions of how something isn't worth explaining now or actually this will illustrate the point. I just about lost it when the narrator said, "So the last paragraph was a metaphor for this."
I do think part of the problem is knowing the truth behind the story (no spoilers here, the foreword also goes into this, though I knew beforehand). Maybe if I hadn't I would have enjoyed it more? I guess we'll never know.
Final note, if I drank every time the book makes fun of Edith, I'd be dead.