Escape to the most charmingly imaginary kingdom in all of early twentieth-century popular fiction, and read the complete novel online for free.
Published in 1904, Beverly of Graustark is the sequel that became a phenomenon. George Barr McCutcheon’s original Graustark had been an unexpected sensation the previous year, selling hundreds of thousands of copies and launching a subgenre: the Ruritanian romance, in which plucky Americans stumble into tiny, picturesque European kingdoms and become entangled in court intrigue and forbidden love. The sequel, many readers agreed, was even better.
Beverly Calhoun is an American girl of spirit and independence, traveling through the Balkans with her cousin. Circumstances—a closed border, a political crisis, a case of mistaken identity—deposit her in the mountain principality of Graustark. The prince is away. The regent is desperate. And Beverly, who bears a striking resemblance to the absent ruler’s betrothed, is asked to play a role. She agrees. Then she meets the dashing, enigmatic Captain Quinnox. And the role begins to feel uncomfortably real.
On this page, you can experience the novel that defined the imaginary kingdom genre for a generation. We offer the complete 1904 novel for online reading.
Book Info
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Title | Beverly of Graustark |
| Author | George Barr McCutcheon |
| Year of Publication | 1904 |
| Genre | Romance, Adventure, Ruritanian Fiction |
| Language | English |
| Legal Status | Public Domain in the U.S. |
| Format | Online Reading |
Read Beverly of Graustark Online
Enter the mountain kingdom where love and intrigue are the national pastimes. Begin this beloved romantic adventure by crossing the border into Graustark interactively below.
This preview introduces the spirited Beverly and the mysterious captain who guards the throne. However, the full, enchanting narrative—the masquerade at court, the conspiracy against the crown, and the choice between duty and love—is available in the complete text for our subscribers.
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About the Novel Beverly of Graustark
The Ruritanian romance, named for Anthony Hope’s The Prisoner of Zenda, follows a reliable formula: an ordinary person, usually an Englishman or American, becomes entangled in the affairs of a small European kingdom, impersonates royalty, foils a conspiracy, and wins the heart of a princess. McCutcheon did not invent the formula, but he perfected its American variant.
Beverly: The New Woman
Beverly Calhoun represents a distinctively American ideal of femininity. She is independent, resourceful, and unimpressed by European titles. She does not faint; she acts. When mistaken for the princess, she does not panic; she improvises. She rides horses, speaks her mind, and refuses to be a passive pawn in the games of men. Yet she is also deeply romantic, susceptible to the charm of uniform and castle. McCutcheon gives his readers the best of both worlds: a modern heroine who still believes in fairy tales.
Graustark: The Imaginary Homeland
Graustark is located, according to McCutcheon, somewhere in the Carpathians, bordered by Russia and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It does not exist and never did. This is the point. The imaginary kingdom is a space of pure fantasy, unconstrained by geography or politics. Its mountains are more picturesque, its uniforms more colorful, its intrigues more romantic than any real nation could provide. Graustark is not a place; it is a mood.
Captain Quinnox: The Reluctant Hero
The male lead of Beverly of Graustark is a departure from the aristocratic heroes of earlier Ruritanian fiction. Quinnox is a soldier, not a prince. He is honorable, reserved, and deeply conflicted. His duty to the crown prevents him from declaring his love for the woman he believes to be the princess’s double. The tension between his disciplined exterior and his passionate interior drives the romantic plot.
The Masquerade Plot
Impersonation is the engine of Ruritanian romance. Beverly is not the first American to wear a crown not meant for her, and she will not be the last. The pleasure of the masquerade plot is double: we enjoy the danger of discovery and the irony of genuine emotion developing within a fabricated identity. When Quinnox falls in love with Beverly, he believes he is falling in love with a princess. When Beverly falls in love with Quinnox, she knows he loves a fiction. The resolution requires confession, forgiveness, and the recognition that the fiction has become truth.
American Optimism
The Graustark novels are suffused with a distinctly American confidence. Beverly succeeds in the Old World not despite her New World origins but because of them. She is not burdened by European hierarchy, European cynicism, European history. She cuts through diplomatic knots with common sense and good humor. McCutcheon, writing at the height of American power, offered his readers a flattering self-portrait: the Ugly American transformed into the Beautiful American, charming the decadent Old World into submission.
Why Read the Novel Beverly of Graustark Today?
Because sometimes you need a castle. Sometimes you need a uniformed hero, a spirited heroine, and a conspiracy that resolves itself in time for tea. Beverly of Graustark is not Great Literature. It is not trying to be. It is a confection, light and sweet and perfectly engineered to produce pleasure. There is a place in the reading life for such books. They are the vacations we take without leaving our chair.
FAQ
Do I need to read the first Graustark novel?
No. Beverly of Graustark is a standalone sequel with a new protagonist and a largely independent plot. The earlier novel establishes the kingdom and its politics, but McCutcheon provides sufficient context for new readers.
Are these books for adults or young adults?
They were written for adults and read by everyone. The Graustark novels were family entertainment in the early twentieth century, enjoyed by mothers and daughters, fathers and sons. The prose is sophisticated, but the sensibility is wholesome.
Is this like The Prisoner of Zenda?
Very much so. McCutcheon was directly influenced by Anthony Hope’s 1894 classic. If you enjoy Zenda, you will enjoy Graustark. If you enjoy Graustark, you will find similar pleasures in the novels of Baroness Orczy, Jeffery Farnol, and Rafael Sabatini.
Are there more Graustark books?
Yes. McCutcheon wrote six Graustark novels between 1901 and 1927. Beverly of Graustark is the second. The series chronicles the kingdom through multiple generations, wars, and romantic entanglements.
Can I read it on my phone?
Yes. The prose is brisk, the chapters are short, and the romantic tension is sustained across exactly the right number of pages. It is excellent travel reading—particularly if you are traveling to imaginary countries.