It's interesting how one sees a book that one has read before at the ages of 10, 22, and 40-something. Now at 64, I see clearly how Bram Bones pulled his trick on Ickobod Crane, leaving the field wide open for his marriage to the sweet baker of Dutch delights.
What earns this book the five stars is the delicious descriptions of the 18th century Tappen Zee, Sing, Sing, Tarrytown area, which now are urban attachments to the greater Metropolitan New York area. We know the time this story takes place as they are still discussing the Revolutionary War, although methinks Irving's description is the rural scene about 50 to 100 years earlier.
Whatever, Irving brings you right into Ichobod and Brum's and Katrina's lives and their culture, using what I choose to call "high omniscient" voice. This is a voice that knows everything and paints people's profiles for the reader. We know Ichobod Crane is a wonderful dancer and erudite scholar, but he also despises more than a touch of manual labor. He also wants Katrina for her dowry of the huge farm and its wealth, while the Dutch lad wants her for herself. ( )