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    The Altar Girl: A Prequel
    The Altar Girl: A Prequel
    The Altar Girl: A Prequel
    Audiobook7 hours

    The Altar Girl: A Prequel

    Written by Orest Stelmach

    Narrated by Tanya Eby

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    The daughter of uncompromising Ukrainian immigrants, Nadia was raised to respect guts, grit, and tradition. When the events around the seemingly accidental death of her estranged godfather don’t add up, Nadia is determined to discover the truth—even if she attracts the attention of dangerous men intent on finding out what she knows through any means possible.

    Her investigation leads her to her hometown and to the people least likely to welcome her back: her family.

    In this thrilling prequel to the Nadia Tesla series, Nadia must try to solve the mystery surrounding her godfather’s death—and his life. The answers to her questions are buried with the secrets of her youth and in post–World War II refugee camps. What Nadia learns will change her life forever.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateMay 1, 2015
    ISBN9781501241000
    The Altar Girl: A Prequel
    Author

    Orest Stelmach

    Born in America to Ukrainian immigrants, Orest Stelmach spoke no English when he started his education. He went on to earn degrees from Dartmouth College and the University of Chicago. He has held a variety of jobs, including dishwasher, shelf stocker, English teacher in Japan, and international investment portfolio manager. The Altar Girl is his fourth novel in the Nadia Tesla series, following The Boy From Reactor 4, The Boy Who Stole From the Dead, and The Boy Who Glowed in the Dark. He resides in Simsbury, Connecticut.

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    Reviews for The Altar Girl

    3.5/5

    25 ratings2 reviews

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    • 3/5
      Passed on to me because of the Ukrainian connection. While the mentions of black cherry varenyky, struck a note of familiarness and longing, not much else did. The parents of the main character, and hence the world she grew up in, came for Ukraine at a far different time and circumstance than my relations did (pre WWI vs Soviet era). I found the harshness, and references to the dark side of life disconcerting. The story was decent enough, but my discomfort with this being seen by readers as the life of all Ukrainian immigrants will outlast anything else from the story. I know it's a prequel to a series already written, but I do not think I'll go on to read the series. I will go back to writing pysanky and remembering the more gentle traditions of my own family heritage.
    • 4/5
      This novel is a prequel to The Boy from Reactor Four and the Boy Who Stole from the Dead. It tells the story of Nadia Tesla as an adult, before she becomes involved with Adam. She has lost her job due to the economic downturn, and she becomes obsessed with finding out the truth about her godfather's death. Was it a simple accident or did someone push him down the stairs? Her search for answers brings her into contact with her estranged mother and brother along with some dangerous and shady characters.Interspersed with this tale is the story of Nadia's childhood attempt to survive for three days alone in the woods in order to achieve an award in the Ukrainian scout group to which she belongs. These memories help explain something of Nadia's past and the relationship she and her brother had with their father.Both story lines are riveting. Will Nadia find the truth about her godfather's death without dying herself? Although we know she survives her scouting challenge, we worry about what will happen to her in the woods alone. Through her investigation, she begins to forge new relationships with her mother and brother. As she learns, so do we. We learn about the plight of the Ukrainian people after World War II. We learn about their modern culture, and the culture of the past.It is a fascinating and riveting book which I highly recommend.