RUSLAN

Czarist Russia in the 19th century is the setting for an entertaining if improbable historical romance about one indomitable woman's plight in Scrupski's debut novel. Countess Alexandra Korvin, left nearly destitute by the extravagances of her recently deceased father, comes to the desperate realization that the only way to restore her ravaged palace and the ancient Korvin name is to find the appropriate moneyed mate. Scrupski captures the decadent opulence of wealthy Russian aristocracy as well as the numbing poverty of its serfs and peasants as her heroine traipses from one society event to another in search of a man who will marry her. Alexandra finds herself obsessed by her closest friend's intended, the charming Gregor Rybynsky, while inadvertently capturing the heart of a well-known scoundrel, Ulyanov. At the same time, her personal circumstances become more dire and, finding no other way to survive, she disguises herself as a young man and joins Ulyanov's military regiment. Alexandra is inspired by a real-life 19th-century "Cavalry Maiden," Nadezhda Durova, and the author liberally sprinkles both fictional characters from the masterpieces of Russian literature and authentic figures from Russian history throughout her narrative in a device that is awkward at best. The relationship between Alexandra and Ulyanov follows the course of a typical formula romance, with some interesting twists when Alexandra wins fame as a soldier. Although meant to be more spirited and independent than most women of her time, Alexandra never achieves real dimension; instead, her distinctly modern sensibility marks her as a typical romance heroine superimposed on the backdrop of St. Petersburg in its magnificent prime. (June)