A review by serendipitysbooks
Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

 
On Valentine’s Day 1900 the young ladies from Appleyard College enjoy an outing to a local landmark. After lunch most of the party are content to rest in the shade but a small group decide to scale the rock. Only one girl returns; another is later discovered but the rest are never seen again. Picnic at Hanging Rock looks at the aftermath for some of the girls, the school and the wider community. It is cleverly written to give the appearance of being an actual event and I felt it captured the Australian environment, especially the heat, really well. The overall tone was eerie and mysterious, gothic without the brooding house! The fate of the girls is never revealed, meaning this will be an unsatisfactory reading experience for many. I did struggle a little while reading this one, frustrated by the attitudes and behaviour of the girls which was often petty and classist. I had to remind myself that it was representative of its time. Overall I’m glad I can finally say that I’ve read this Antipodean classic. 
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