Celestine

By: Kevin St. Jarre

Narrated by: Ode McGuire

Length: 8 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

In 1984, 15-year-old Celestine Tolland and her parents were part of a crew of explorers who set off into space. Months after their departure, a virus ravaged the crew of the Phaeacia, killing nearly everyone aboard. The few survivors finally returned to Earth after nearly two years. However, because they were traveling near the speed of light—causing an effect known as time dilation—more than 30 years have passed on Earth.

Celestine, who had finished her freshman year in high school in 1984, returns to Earth to begin her senior year in 2022. She is only 17, while her former classmates are all nearly 50 years old.

Back in her hometown, Celestine faces the same trials that every teen girl faces, but there are many new challenges. In addition to making friends, finding romance, and dealing with mean girls, she has to learn how to navigate social media and the internet and to avoid suspicious members of the public who fear she is contagious. She also has to deal with survivor’s guilt, living with her foster mother (who also happens to be her childhood friend), therapy, fear of a government conspiracy, and fear of falling ill.

©2021 Kevin St Jarre (P)2023 Kevin St Jarre

Recommend

This book was not what I expected when I got it but I am glad that I did. This book is about a ship being in space and how the people from Earth in that ship got sick but a few survived. One is Celestine who was 16 when she went into the ship and still 16 when she was saved. It is 2022, she should have been in her 50's. Having to deal with the new life without her parents and the people from her town thinking she was contagious and treated her like she was sick.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.