Polonaise

The setting of this busy historical novel by the prolific British writer is Poland, a land torn by predatory political rivalries, caught in the pincers of Napoleonic and Russian forces. In 1802, an English woman, Jenny Peveral, and an American of Polish descent, Jan Warrington, are drawn into the intrigue-filled court of their friend and relative, the Princess Ovinska. By conceiving a son, Casimir, the Princess hopes to continue the ruling caste. Casimir, ""the hope of Poland,'' becomes Jenny's charge, but the hapless child is doomed by the clash between Napoleon and the Tsar. Before that crushing event, however, subplots vividly illuminate tangled human and political destinies: the romantic liaisons of the Princess, the amours of Napoleon, Talleyrand and other historically significant personages, the machinations of the underground Brotherhood, a loyalist sect, all contribute to an intriguing narrative. Although her characters are only thinly developed, Hodge (Secret Island uses them well in her portrayal of a nation's travails. (July 13)