The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving; narrated by Robertson Dean | 2014; originally published 1820 | Dreamscape Media | Audiobook $ 19.95

The most beloved and oft-adapted work by Washington Irving follows a love triangle in the New York countryside in 1790. Sleepy Hollow, a supposedly haunted glen on the outskirts of Tarry Town, is home to a particularly ghoulish fiend — the Headless Horseman — who is said to be the specter of a fallen soldier. Ichabod Crane, a schoolmaster from Connecticut, competes with local hero Abraham “Brom Bones” Van Brunt for the affections of the young, beautiful, and wealthy Katrina Van Tassel.

I’m terribly behind on writing up reviews for the books I’ve read this year for Classics Club (and behind on actually reading, too), but in celebration of Spooky Season I’m letting this one jump the queue and reviewing it first, because I read it just in time for Halloween!

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is really a short story, rather than a whole book. The audio version I listened to was only 1 hour 15 minutes long — not even a whole day’s worth of commuting time for me. That said, it was a comparatively enjoyable commute with this story along for the ride.

I was familiar with the story thanks to the animated adaptation from Disney of 1949, and (less faithfully) Tim Burton’s 1999 movie version. But while those retellings of the story were certainly good fun, the original really is something special. Narrator Robertson Dean really brought it to life; I’ll be on the lookout for more audiobooks read by him in the future.

If you’re in the mood for some good old-fashioned spooky storytelling for Halloween, I can definitely recommend giving this one a listen.

Links:

• Biography of Washington Irving at ThoughtCo.
• The Legend Bicentennial from the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery Historic Fund
• Historic Hudson Valley article “The Great American Ghost Story”
• Historic Hudson Valley article “10 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Washington Irving”

Publication information: Irving, Washington. The legend of Sleepy Hollow. Toledo, OH: Dreamscape Media, 2014. Audiobook.
Source: Public library, via Hoopla.
Disclaimer: I am not compensated, monetarily or otherwise, for reviews of books or other products.