Picnic at Hanging Rock

By: Joan Lindsay

Narrated by: Jacqueline McKenzie

Length: 3 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's Summary

‘Everyone agreed that the day was just right for the picnic to Hanging Rock – a shimmering summer morning warm and still, with cicadas shrilling...’

St Valentine’s Day, in the midst of the hot summer of 1900, a party of schoolgirls went on a picnic to Hanging Rock. Some were never to return….

An Australian classic, the disappearance of three girls and a schoolteacher at Hanging Rock has captivated and intrigued audiences for generations. Jacqueline McKenzie’s interpretation of the best-selling novel captures all of the beauty of the Rock and illustrates the eerie sense of the unknown for which the story is legendary.

©1967 Joan Lindsay (P)2011 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

NOT UNabridged!

I rate the book itself 5 stars and the performance itself is quite good, deserving of 4-5 stars. The narrator's voice and accent and her narration are perfect for the setting of the story, an upper class girls' Australian boarding school in 1900. I quite enjoyed it.

I'd be happy to write a review of both the story and the performance for their own sake, but what I want most to call attention to in this review is that the audiobook is described as unabridged, and it is most definitely not. The novel itself is short to begin with, just under 200 pages. I estimate that an unabridged version would run an hour more at most.

If you listen to it without the book at hand or never having read the book, the abridgment is seamless enough that I doubt you'll be aware of it, and you'll come away believing you've heard the whole story. It does work, but I believe you'll be deprived of the richness of the whole work.

Given the nature of the story, the unsolved disappearance of three girls and one of their teachers on an afternoon's holiday from the boarding school at the famous Hanging Rock, and the rippling effect the tragedy has on other characters, an abridgment deprives the listener of important nuances and clues. The book as I've said is a short piece to begin with, and unabridged it's more satisfying, feels more complete, and given the ambiguous ending, the reader needs it!

16 people found this helpful

NOT Unabridged!

The story is excellent and the narrator is superb however I was extremely disappointed when I realised that it is abridged, and not unabridged as shown.

11 people found this helpful

Abridged

If you’re reading this book for a class, significant sections are skipped and you will not understand the ending. Many Clues are left out which makes it a completely different story. I wouldn’t recommend purchasing this unless you have the book and can pause to read the whole chapters which are removed in the reading.

3 people found this helpful

Abridgement warning.

This narration is abridged; I missed this fact because it was buried several levels down in the description. The full book is only 189 pages long, so come on, Audible!

1 person found this helpful

Picnic you never want to listen to

This satisfies the "classic" category for the Modern Mrs. Darcy reading challenge of 2018 but seriously - I finished it and thought "what the freak? Why is this considered a classic?" I still don't know - but I read it. And it was weird. If you like a book where theer are one thousand loose ends and no questions answered- then this book is for you.

1 person found this helpful

Good Classic

What did you love best about Picnic at Hanging Rock?

I hadn't read this story for many many years. To listen to it on audible was a pleasure - i had forgotten so much of the story.

1 person found this helpful

Love the mystery!

What a great mystery!! The narrator was amazing!! I really enjoyed listening to this book

What?

I stuck with this book for all 3 hours, waiting for it to get interesting. It didn't.

A REAL "PICNIC" OF AN AUDIOBOOK

Picnic at Hanging Rock is an enjoyable yet disturbing novel. The writing is clear and entertaining, the story easy to follow, the descriptions of characters and settings detailed enough to enhance the readers' enjoyment of the novel. The mystery builds as the story continues. Yet the novel ends without a resolution, leaving readers to draw their own conclusions or, like the characters in the novel, to wander aimlessly among the crags of Hanging Rock.

Classic Australian novel

What made the experience of listening to Picnic at Hanging Rock the most enjoyable?

The reader evoked many wonderful scenes to the point I could almost feel the heat and smell the trees.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Picnic at Hanging Rock?

Where the ladies removed their gloves and hats (strnage I know but it was a portens of things to come)

Which scene was your favorite?

The ladies crossing the creek

Who was the most memorable character of Picnic at Hanging Rock and why?

The French Teacher

Any additional comments?

Well worth listnening to this recording