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I love being able to say I know the TRUE story of 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.'" — Miss Remmers
From Amazon.com...
"The chief part of the stories, however, turned upon the favorite specter of Sleepy Hollow, the Headless Horseman, who had been heard several times of late, patrolling the country; and, it was said, tethered his horse nightly among the graves in the churchyard. The story was immediately matched by a thrice marvelous adventure of Brom Bones, who made light of the Galloping Hessian as an arrant jockey. He affirmed that on returning one night from the neighboring village of Sing Sing, he had been overtaken by this midnight trooper; that he had offered to race with him for a bowl of punch, and should have won it too, for Daredevil beat the goblin horse all hollow, but just as they came to the church bridge, the Hessian bolted, and vanished in a flash of fire. All these tales, told in that drowsy undertone with which men talk in the dark, the countenances of the listeners only now and then receiving a casual gleam from the glare of a pipe, sank deep in the mind of Ichabod... . "
Why I read this: Who doesn't love the story of "Sleepy Hollow" around Halloween! This has been on my TBR list for a long time; when I realized that Gutenberg had it I began listening to it every spare moment I had.
Plot: It was fascinating hearing/reading the plot as it was originally meant to be told; so many people assume they know the story of Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman because of the countless retellings. There is nothing better than reading the original story and realizing how it has been distorted throughout the years via literature and movie renditions.
Characters: The characters really came to life in the original story of Sleepy Hollow. I really understood exactly how nerdy Ichabod was (and not in that Johnny Depp sort of way). I was also given a whole new perspective on Katrina and her coquettish ways.
Cover: If it weren't for my love of literature (or if I were a high school student), I would not pick up this book because of the cover. It just sort of screams dull and old. I definitely vote on a new cover to inspire more contemporary readers to pick this book up.
Random Thoughts: It was fantastic to read/ listen to this book in October when the haunting season has just begun. There were moments of the text that were very heavy because of the large amount of description so it was nice to be listening to it so that I could be multi-tasking. Towards the end when the Headless Horseman makes his appearance the narrator couldn't speak fast enough.
Final Thoughts: This was a fantastic read for October. I love being able to say I know the TRUE story of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." I think on October 29th (it's our Recreational Reading day), I'll have my students listen to this fantastic original.
Originality: 10/10
Ending: 10/10
Characters: 10/10
Plot: 7/10
My reaction/enjoyment: 10/10
Theme: 10/10
Imagery: 10/10
Setting: 5/5
Voice: 5/5
Style: 5/5
Tone: 5/5
Cover: 8/10
Overall: 95/100 A
To the FTC, with love: Listened to for free from Project Gutenberg