The 1985 movie was great, but Brewster's methods are far more diverse and humorous in the book. Notable highlights:

-Brewster befriends a pair of muggers by insisting they steal everything, even the $300 they overlooked in his right pocket.

-He hosts a luxury cruise for 50 to Europe, and the guests stage a mutiny to curb Brewster's inexplicable generosity.

-An Arab sheik tries to steal Brewster's fiance in Egypt, but is shot in the head while absconding.

A possible detractor: the book has far more dramatic content than the movie. This is not simply a comedic vehicle. It is thoroughly absorbing, nevertheless.

Mr. Lorry is a wealthy American who lives off of his parents and has no desire to work. Although he lives in America where this is not acceptable behavior, he makes his excuses by comparing himself to a European gentlemen. Lorry meets a mysterious woman on a train ride in America and then finds a way to follow her to a country named Graustark. He and his friend Anguish go to this place to find that the mysterious woman, Miss Guggenslocker, is actually the princess of Graustark. By then Lorry has fallen in love with the princess. Unfortunately, her little country is indebted to a nearby country. She is to marry the prince of this other country and raise a large sum in order to repay the prince. If the money is not raised by a certain date, the country will have to give up more than half of its kingdom. Graustark does not have the money to repay the debt. In the meantime, Lorry is framed for killing the prince of the country that they owe. Lorry is arrested and then the princess sneaks him out of captivitiy. She hides him at the monastery. There is a large reward for his capture and he knows that if he is seen, he will be executed. The princess has a plan for Lorry's escape out of the country. However, he is so in love with the princess that he refuses to leave her. In the middle of the night, Lorry sneaks back to the castle to be with her. He decides to turn himself in. On the day that the debt is to be paid and the country must give up its land, Lorry appears. During this time, Anguish has been secretly trying to find out who really killed the prince. He manages to expose the true killer. Because Lorry turned himself in, the princess' attendent receives the reward money, which she uses to repay Graustark's debt. Lorry and the princess announce their undying love for one another publically. It is decided that the princess can marry Lorry, but he is not allowed to claim a title. I thought this book was a lot like a fairy tale. Lorry's love became more intense and reached the point where his actions were totally irrational. Also in the book, things that should have been obvious to the characters were not. This led me to believe that the characters were very simple-minded. I did not enjoy this book because it was not very realistic, but since it was written at the end of the 1800's it is possible that people could be so blinded in their love for each other. MayfromOK@webtv.net