Date Started - 5/19/11
Date Finished - 5/24/11
One-Word Summary: Beautiful
I love reading classics for a couple of reasons. First, they are classics for a reason - they've stood the test of time and therefore worth reading. Second, they provide a nice counter to the fluff literature that often fills my reading queue. Third, most of them are free on my Kindle!
So on with the review!
The thing I found most interesting about this story is that there really is no dialogue. You just read this beautiful descriptive story set in an idyllic New York (one that I've certainly never seen, though man this makes me wish I could travel back in time). The descriptions are so detailed and beautiful you can picture the rolling farmland and quaint Dutch towns dotting the landscape.
I also find it interesting that Ichabod Crane is not a completely sympathetic figure. You feel bad for the guy but he is a sycophant interested in Katrina for the property she would bring to a marriage and seemingly nothing more. You certainly don't ill wish him but all the same you find that you can laugh along with Brom Bones at the end of the story.
One final note: it was somewhat difficult to read the story without visions of movies getting in the way. I kept envisioning the plot line from the Tim Burton movie Sleepy Hollow, which has very few similarities to the book. And I would sometimes think of the old Disney cartoon as well, which from what I remember was much more faithful to the description of Ichabod Crane than Johnny Depp was! So to those who have seen any of the movies, push those out of your head and enjoy the original!
A great read and one I'll probably come back to some Halloween in the future.
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