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Loading... The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (original 1820; edition 2014)by Washington IrvingAn excellent story, with tons of fun twists and apt descriptions. The story is truly captivating, allowing the reader to visit the picturesque yet eerie landscape of Sleepy Hallow. With the brilliant overuse of adjectives and Irving's seamlessly interwoven wit, "The Legend of Sleepy Hallow" has become a pinnacle of American fiction. Listened to audiobook performance of this classic spooky tale while driving through the Hudson Valley. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow has always been a favorite of mine, partly due to growing up within an hours drive of Tarrytown and visiting the sites of the story several times as a child. Revisiting it now, even though I know it's 200 years old, it struck me as old-fashioned, especially on gender and race issues. But it's also a funny satire of country folk in the Hudson Valley with Irving's vivid descriptions of people and places. And the last segment where Ichabod Crane is pursued by the Headless Horseman - or is it Brom Bones? - is truly spooky. Many a year since I had read this one and I found I liked it better than I had remembered. Who wouldn't appreciate the descriptive powers of Washington Irving: On all sides he beheld vast store of apples; some hanging in oppressive opulence on the trees; some gathered into baskets and barrels for the market; others heaped up in rich piles for the cider-press. Father on he beheld great fields of Indian corn, with its golden ears peeping from their leafy coverts, and holding out the promise of cakes and hasty-pudding; and the yellow pumpkins lying beneath them, turning up their fair round bellies to the sun, and giving ample prospects of the most luxurious of pies; and anon he passed the fragrant buckwheat fields breathing the odor of the beehive, and as he beheld them, soft anticipations stole over his mind of dainty slapjacks, well buttered, and garnished with honey or treacle... I could see the bounty, I could taste the honey, I could feel the cool Autumn breezes and feel the golden sun. Writing that endures. I had a bit of trouble with the language. The text was full of old words that I believe are no longer in use and it made the reading slow. I had to check the meaning of the words. Granted I did learn a lot. The plot is familiar, but still wonderful. This has to be one of my favourite stories. Excellent to be read at Halloween time. I've heard several tellings and re-tellings of this famous story, but reading the original was quite a treat. It's one of those books that I SWEAR I read at some point, but I'm never really sure because I've heard the story so many times, it's just ingrained in my brain. This is a great story! If you haven't read it, it's super short, you should definitely give it a try! Grimly's illustrations pair perfectly with Irving's prose, as both are just slightly fantastical but carry also a sense of gravitas. A more grusome illustrator could have bent the legend in the direction of horror, but Grimly keeps the tone light with his bumbling (but lovable) rendition of Ichabod Crane and his escapades, which keeps the story clealy in the realm of slightly twisted comedy. The images of the Headless Horseman are scary, but readers know by the end of the story that the real culprit behind Ichabod's disappearance is the town bully, who also seeks the hand of the eligible Katrina Von Tussel. ❧ audiobook review It is remarkable that the visionary propensity I have mentioned is not confined to the native inhabitants of the valley, but is unconsciously imbibed by every one who resides there for a time. However wide awake they may have been before they entered that sleepy region, they are sure, in a little time, to inhale the witching influence of the air, and begin to grow imaginative, to dream dreams, and see apparitions. Oooooh, at last! What a perfect October read. I've seen the film, of course, but I haven't ever got around to the book. So glad I finally did. I also recommend the audiobook. The narrator's absolutely class and it's a great hour-long Gothic horror bit of escapism. I can't tell you how old I was when this story was first read to me, but I was very, very young and already had a keen interest in the paranormal. I do recall the library book my mother read the story from, it was an anthology of children's literature with Arthur Rackham illustrations. It was required reading in my 8th grade English class, when I was reintroduced to the story. My teacher led classroom discussion and I think she made this an interesting literary work for our age group. As an adult, I discovered this edition with the Arthur Rackham illustrations that I remembered and loved so well, so I purchased it for an addition to my personal library. This week my six year old daughter brought home a library book of the Disney version of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, so I just had to pull the Washington Irving version off the shelf and start reading it to her. So, this little literary gem has now come full circle in my own personal history......life is sweet. (on a side note, I have watched the Tim Burton film, "Sleepy Hollow" and I must say it is best taken as an adjunct to the story, as it is so very different. The cinematography and art direction are excellent, it is a visually stunning film, but it certainly cannot be mistaken for a film version of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow") Audible tells me that the audiobook version of this short story lasted only seventy-five minutes but it felt like soooo much longer than that. I listened politely to the entire thing, waiting attentively for something that would make this two-hundred-year-old story worth listening to. I waited in vain. If humour is in the ear of the listener, then all I heard was smug disdain, delivered in over-worked prose that had neither comic timing nor dramatic pacing. This was a story that seemed to be saying to the reader, 'Look how quaint and odd these country folk are! Look particularly at this poorly favoured teacher and join me in laughing at his greed for food, his delusional assessment of his marital prospects, his absurd physical appearance, and his gullibility.' I'll pass, thanks. The main thing I'll take away from reading this short story is the image of American Lit courses as ventilators keeping fiction alive that ought to have been allowed to die a dignified natural death long ago. It's whats to be expected. I didnt particularly enjoy this book but I didn't hate it either. Some parts were exciting and some parts were boring - the descriptions of places, etc. were like.. blah blah blah, I really hate when books go into super description of places, etc. but the ending picked up and I really enjoyed that. I've seen the movie, etc. but had never read the book before, first time for everything ! I listened to this last night. I didn’t realize it was written in 1820, which explains some of the archaic language used. I loved the descriptions of the Hudson River, Tarrytown, the Tappan Zee, etc. When I was a teen I started working for a think tank in Irvington-on-Hudson every summer through part of college. On our first trip there we stayed in Tarrytown and toured Irving’s land and home. To hear the descriptions made me “homesick.” |
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