This is a very short story, less than thirty pages. It’s a quick read and recommended for those with some time to spare. The version I read is just the short story, I have discovered there is a version with the same title that has multiple short stories in it by Irving. I haven’t read the collection of shorts just the short story and with that said this review is only of the story.
Sleepy Hollow is a small town best described in the story itself:
A pleasing land of drowsy head it was, Of dreams that wave before the half-shut eye; And of gay castles in the clouds that pass, Forever flushing round a summer sky. CASTLE OF INDOLENCE.
This town, though sleepy, is full of legends and tales. A school teacher named Ichabod Crane is one of the residents that is most obsessed with these stories. He’s described as a bit of a softhearted foolish nerd and definitely not the most handsome of characters. He is in love with one of the more beautiful women,Katrina, of the town, but she’s spoken for by a man named Brom Bones.
One of the more famous legends in the the town is of the specter of a Hessian trooper that lost his head ‘when a cannonball carried it away’ and can still be seen riding his horse around the town at night looking for his head. Crane finds himself apart of this legend as he is chased down by the ghost one night and is never heard of again.
This is a classic Halloween tale, one I’ve read to my own child. It’s timeless and wonderfully written. Highly recommend for any time of the year. Not often does a story really make me wanna live in it, but the town seems so romantically gothic in its description.
This review is a part of my 2020 yearlong self-challenge to read and review. I have reread some books for the purpose of reviewing them on my website whereas I have read others for the first time. Check out Book Reviews and Recommendations to find other book reviews, book recommendations, and more information about the books I’m reading, have read, or are sharing.
Have you read this book? What were your thoughts? Do you agree with me? Do you disagree? Let’s have a conversation about it.
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