Rip Van Winkle, the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, the Pride of the Village & the Spectre Bridegroom

April 27, 2015
The story of the lazy villager who takes a 20-year-long nap, the spindly school tech who runs for his life from the headless horseman, and the maiden who falls in love with a young soldier—many have heard these tales, but the richness of details makes them worth revisiting. Sims provides a simple but strong reading of three classic tales (“The Spectre Bridegroom” is available as a free digital download), letting Irving’s handiwork do most of the entertaining. Managing to keep a steady pace without slipping into a sleep-inducing monotone, Sims allows the writing to lead the listener easily and naturally into the worlds created by the author. Whether the listener is revisiting or newly discovering, Sims narration offers a fine interpretation of these timeless tales.

October 1, 1988
Howe, working in a style that is just as realistic as Locker's (see above), highlights the comic gifts of Irving's story: his Rip waves jauntily to a scarecrow, sneaks away from the house unaware that a stern Dame Van Winkle looks on and, in one frame, is seen scrambling out the door away from the shrewish, pointing finger of his wife (the rest of her is offstage). Henry Hudson's crew are a wild-eyed, caricatured bunch; Rip, upon awakening, has ivy and brambles clinging to his hat and pants, and his beard sails down past his knees. He returns to his village and is mistaken for a soldier of the American revolution; but soon settles into a serene life with his daughter and is lastly shown carving from wood the figures of the small men from his ``night'' on the mountain. This is a vivid piece of storytelling, which takes full advantage of the atmospheric Catskill setting. Howe good-spiritedly taps the elements of the tale that make it an American favorite. Ages 4-8.

Many of Irving's short stories are easily recognizable by their exaggerated plot details--a man who sleeps for far too long, a Halloween creature terrorizing a small town--and, for the most part, the language is strong enough to stand on its own. Adam Sims takes the reins here and provides a clear, steady reading of some of Irving's best-loved tales, but he offers little new to Irving's work. He's neutral when he needs to be and foreboding when the stories call for it, true, but his performance lacks a certain measure of the enthusiastic fantasy that can work so well with tales like these. N.J.B. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine