Digestible Classics Book Club: Picnic at Hanging Rock

Digestible Classics dives into the best books that are short enough for a busy schedule. Everyone is welcome, no matter your experience with classic literature. If you're new to it, this is a great place to start. This month we'll be reading Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay. Registration is not required for this program.

It was a cloudless summer day in the year 1900. Everyone at Appleyard College for Young Ladies agreed it was just right for a picnic at Hanging Rock. After lunch, a group of three girls climbed into the blaze of the afternoon sun, pressing on through the scrub into the shadows of the secluded volcanic outcropping. Farther, higher, until at last they disappeared. They never returned. . . .

Mysterious and subtly erotic, Picnic at Hanging Rock inspired the iconic 1975 film of the same name by Peter Weir. A beguiling landmark of Australian literature, it stands with Shirley Jackson's We Have Always Lived in the Castle, Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca, and Jeffrey Eugenides' The Virgin Suicides as a masterpiece of intrigue.

Content warning: Classic literature often deals with serious concepts and themes that may be difficult or traumatic for some. If this is a potential concern, please reach out to the library or conduct your own research on each month's book.