Wednesday 9 December 2015

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Book Review

I have to admit when I agreed to review the Legend of Sleepy Hollow I didn't realise that the book included other stories too so when the book arrived I was more than surprised by the size of it, 862 pages to be precise.


Upon reading the back I soon realised that this book was so much more than that. Included within are the full contents of Washington Irving's best loved story collections :

The Sketch Book
Tales of a Traveller
Wolfert's Roost and other papers

And of course this includes The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Rip Van Winkle and The Spectre Bridegroom.

At the beginning you will find the contents so if you don't wish to read the stories in the order that they are printed, you are free to pick and choose the ones which take your fancy.


I've never actually read any of Washington's works before, I've seen the film of Sleepy Hollow but I have always said that the movies never compare to the books and it is definitely the case here.

The way in which Irving describes the events that unfold are truly haunting at times. He is a very clever man indeed. Each tale is expertly written, they definitely don't tell stories like this anymore.


Now like I say the size of the book may look a bit daunting but what you will find is that each story is actually relatively short so easy to digest and take in.

Both my 7 and 10 year olds have been delving into different stories each night and they have been thoroughly entertained. They have had to ask what certain words mean but that's what we have dictionaries for right.

Here is what my eldest daughter had to say about it :

I was really pleased when my mum handed me this book. I've watched the Disney film of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow which I loved so getting this book was really exciting. 

It is a bit old fashioned so there are some words that I didn't know what they meant but my mum and dad helped explain them to me.

I've still got lots left to read but I am really enjoying it so far.

This compilation is full of classic tales, story telling at its best. It is sure to entertain both children and adults alike, it's a book that I would highly recommend.

xxxx

Disclaimer : I was sent this book FOC for reviewing purposes however all thoughts and opinions are my own.

4 comments:

  1. That sounds like a good read! Long books can be daunting sometimes, so it's good to know you don't have to read it all in one go! My younger son likes fantasy books, so he might enjoy this. I saw the film Sleepy Hollow many years ago and really enjoyed it.

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  2. I'm intrigued The short stories sound fun. I like that you don't have to read them in order but somehow I don't think Olivia will read something like this! #readwithme

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  3. I haven't tried short stories for a while with my two - but it strikes me as a really good idea (especially for my reluctant reader!). Thanks for sharing and inspiring #readwithme

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  4. I haven't even seen the film, so no pre-conceptions here. Does look long though

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