In 1975, I saw an Australian movie, Picnic at Hanging Rock, one of the most perfect and perfectly weird films I have ever seen. The impact of this film still resonates with me, and when I was looking for another book at Powells, and noticed this, I HAD to have it. I had no idea the film was based on a book, and yet here we are. And it is every bit as freakily good as the movie as.
It begins as a standard turn of the century girl’s boarding school story. It is Valentine’s Day, and romanticism is running wild amongst the boarders. As a special treat that day, several of the older girls and two of the teachers are allowed to set off in a carriage to picnic at a park near an ancient monolith, Hanging Rock, named for its sheer and impenetrable escarpments. It is a warm day (being mid-summer in Australia), and most of the girls decide to nap after lunch. Three of the older girls, as well as a younger tag-along, set off to hike closer to the mysterious Rock instead. Oddly enough, everyone’s timepiece has seemed to have stopped, but they all figure they would know when it was time to be heading back. Except they don’t come back, only the youngest one, in wild hysterics. It’s only then that it is noticed that one of the teachers, an elderly, very straight-laced professor of mathematics, is also missing.
This could have been an ordinary mystery, and indeed, the characters in the book treat it as such, but there are the odd otherworldly clue here and there that puts it on a different level altogether. Sooooo good.
BTW, if you are reading this Penguin edition, follow the warning given and do NOT read the preface first. Lindsay’s editor got it exactly right.
I wish I had your warning about the preface before I read this one! Also- VERY glad you enjoyed it!
I normally don’t read prefaces first (quite often don’t read them at all) but read this one on a whim, never imagining what was there. I gotta say, after having it in my head for, what, 45 years as the perfect unsolvable mystery, that solution was not a little jarring. O.o
SAME! I never read them, but assumed that I was being “responsible” this time and read the whole dang thing.
Hah! There ya go. Generally, if I read them, it’s afterwards and in the actual HELL did I just read? type vein. This was basically a 180 on that.
I don’t think I knew there was a book either. I saw the 1975 movie when it came out (my parents didn’t do babysitters) and for years just thought it was some weird story I dreamed.
I know, right? Same here. I was amazed to see it on my Powell’s page and of course immediately made gimme hands. As far as I can remember, the book is exactly as I recollect the movie, except for the last scene. I’m pretty sure that got left out, which IMHO was a good call.
I was sorta surprised by how many on Goodreads didn’t like it because they thought it was too slow, but those who liked it REALLY liked it.
This sounds amazing. Adding it to my TBR right now!
If you can find the movie (and I understand it’s hard to find these days), I would recommend watching it first, just to get you in the proper weird head space. But beware the preface!
Did you see the limited series starring Natalie Dormer? I saw trailers for it, was interested, but read the book instead and didn’t think about the series again until right now.
No, I saw that there were trailers for it, but didn’t think it would work as well as a series, and it seems to me it looked like some stuff was changed. I just thought the original film was such a gem of perfection, I didn’t want to have it spoiled. I was just so glad that the book didn’t do that. Except the reveal in the preface. Seriously, WTF? Delete, delete.