The Last Green Valley is an extraordinary historical novel by Mark Sullivan.
Everything about this book is mesmerizing, as the author fully captivates throughout.
The author transports the reader into this WWII setting in a powerful way.
The author delivers an inspirational tale of making a better life for oneself.
Make sure to set some time aside for this amazing read, as you won't be able to put it down.

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, but the things you do to survive will live with you forever. A side of WWII not often heard is the plight of the Ukrainian people under Stalin’s treatment and with the Holodore, and of people risking their lives to flee Communism. This historical fiction which is steeped in one family’s facts won’t leave you for some time. The atrocities, manipulations and strong holds the refugees faced is unimaginable, yet occurred and were survived by some. You will be rooting for these people and hoping they all find their Green Valley in the end.

The last green valley the story of Emil and Adeline Martel what a journey, this is one of those stories that will take you into many different places and scenarios where you will feel every single feeling and emotion the characters went through.

The last green valley is one of those a story that will bring you joy, sadness but at the same time will bring you so much hope, love, and faith.

What a magnificent journey, I still can't recover from this, I love the strength the characters show Emil and Adeline Martel family is one of a kind, they will show you among these pages that there still magic in this world, there still miracles and good people willing to help and survive in a world full of darkness.. this is the message that I kept getting while reading their story.

This is the story of the Martels, what they went through so many years of separation, how they survive, what they had to do, and how they never lost faith and hope that one day they will be together again.

I have to agree with many of my fellow reviewers this story is one of those stories that no matter how much you write to express your feelings and emotion you will never do justice to this amazing family, all I want to say is what a masterpiece, this book, this story everything made me feel alive, made me feel many emotions, sometimes even rage after learning how much they suffered.

One of the things that I love about this story was the constant display of faith and strength, I feel like that was a huge key for them to survive, they always found a way to show that no matter how dark the path look their faith was even stronger than that.

I too felt and feel like Emil sometimes, when things are so dark I constantly ask and question why is this happening, but Adeline Martel was an angel to inspire she was the solid rock of the family constantly pushing herself to hold the whole family in place, this woman is the picture of strength, faith, and love, she was out of this world, a fresh breeze to read and get to know in the pages of this book.

I want to keep writing about this book but I just can't find the right words to express all these emotions.. maybe one day I'll give justice to this book but overall for me was the best of the best

A story that I will keep in my heart forever with Pino Lella, Sabine Zlatin, The Cook sisters, Louise and Ida Cook, and many of the WWll heroes and heroines that made this world a better place, may your souls rest in a better place.

Thank you, Mark T Sullivan, for reminding us with your stories what kindness, compassion, and love look like in a world full of darkness.

what a book!!!!!!!!

The Last Green Valley is a real epic of a novel. It tells the story of Emil and Adeline Martel, ethnic Germans whose ancestors settled in the Ukraine as farmers.
The novel tells of their momentous journey in WW11 to escape the communists and the dreadful treatment under Stalin and also to evade the Nazis.
The Martels, their young sons and extended family join the Long Trek, facing tank bombardments from both sides. But Adeline is adamant that they will reach the beautiful green valley she dreams of, as long as they stay strong, stay together and keep going west.
The family faces terrible deprivation and tragedy. Emily meets ghosts from his past who continue to haunt him but finds courage in the form of Corporal Gheorghe who believes that he has been spared so that he can fulfil his dream of being a beekeeper.
Based on a true story, The Last Green Valley is moving and inspirational. It provides insight into a part of history that I knew nothing about and I found this fascinating.

The last green valley by Mark Sullivan is historical fiction flashing back and forth in time between 1922 and 1944 About the Martel family who is ofGerman heritage .The novel details their lives and horrific experiences as they decide to relocate from their family farm during wartime. It is inspiring and admirable what they endured and never lost hope.
If you loved Mark Sullivan‘s other book “ Beneath The Scarlet Sky“ you will enjoy The Last Green Valley.
No matter how many historical fiction novels I have read about World War II there is something unique
I learn in each and every one I read and that includes this one.
Thank you to Lake Union publishing and netgalley.com for the complementary copy , this is my unbiased opinion of the novel.
#thelastgreenvalley #NetGalley

Let me start out by I loved Beneath a Scarlet Sky so I was excited to read this one. Now this book was easy for me to pick up and I seemed drawn to it. I didn’t know much about the Russian part of the war. 3/4 of the way done I thought we’ll this book wasn’t as good.... and then I finished and that thought changed. I loved it so very much. I love how Mark writes and I just LOVED the story. I made me reflect on my own life. A beautiful book if you like historical fiction you will enjoy this book. This book will stick with me for a while.

Although I have not actually read the book*, I listened to Mark Sullivan talk about it in a detailed interview, and, I did read his prior book, Beneath A Scarlet Sky. The Last Green Valley is the (true) story of the Martel family (Germans), who, in 1944, had to decide whether to stay in Ukraine and fave life under Soviet rule or flee west with the Nazis. They decided to flee the Soviets. This is their incredible tale of survival.

If you are interested in a miraculous story of survival during WW2, this is definitely a must read.

Thank you lake Union Publishing and Netgalley for the e-ARC of #thelastgreenvalley. in return for my honest review. #5stars.

* I did not read it due to the brutal nature of WW2 in Ukraine. Just too much for me.

if you have read Beneath a Scarlet Sky, you will know how beautifully Mark Sullivan writes; if you haven’t, and you are a fan of historical fiction, then he is an author you definitely need to pick up. This is a fabulous book that had me gripped, tugged at my heartstrings and I loved from beginning to end.

The book tells the story of the Martel family’s struggle for survival as they set off in 1944 from Ukraine to trek across Eastern Europe in search of a “green valley” where they can spend the rest of the lives living in freedom. Of German heritage but whose ancestors settled in the Ukraine, they now have to face a stark choice of remaining and living life under Stalin or leaving and returning east. Offered supposed safe passage under protection of the Nazis, it sees them suffer unimaginable horrors, lose and regain their faith but through it all they cling on to a glimmer of hope, enabling them ultimately not only to survive but also to prosper.

Based on a true story, and written with the help of the main characters’ sons, this book tells a story of less well known events in World War II and something I knew little or nothing about - but it is certainly a story that deserves to be told, and Sullivan does it with such skill. His descriptive ability sweeps you up in the horrific situations the family find themselves in, and the characters leap off the pages in a very real way, but he also infuses a glimmer of hope that means you keep rooting for them, hoping their hopefulness and positivity in the face of so much suffering is rewarded.

It is heartbreaking and yet ultimately uplifting - it’s a book that emphasises the resilience of human beings and the power of love and faith, as well as never letting go of your dreams whatever life throws at you. It is a story that both draws you in and makes you think - it will stay with me for a long time and reminds me why I need to read more historical fiction, particularly books as well written as this one is.

This is a wonderful story of determination, resilience, spirituality and love. Based on a true journey of survival and escape from Stalin's Soviet and Hitler's German forces in the final stages of WW2, and the years immediately after, it is harrowing, uplifting and a testament to the will to survive.

This book details the epic journey of the Martel family post WWII from Ukraine to Montana. Constant perils and obstacles are thrown in their path yet somehow they survive and are reunited after many years apart. It is a story based on an actual family and events. Quite a harrowing tale.

This story started in rural Ukraine, where the Martel family felt and sensed evil, before actually seeing it.

Imagine being caught between Hitler and the Nazis and Stalin and the Soviets. Countless, unimaginable atrocities were committed by the leaders and followers of both groups.

Where the Soviets ruled, fear, tyranny and destruction reigned. Stalin and his government ruled Ukraine and its people into submission with unbridled cruelty and brutality. So much evil and unnecessary suffering. For some, a crisis of survival would also become a crisis of faith.

As the Martel family began their journey to freedom, they suffered through and endured many hardships and obstacles. However, each hardship that was endured and survived seemed to prepare them for the next difficult experience. Faith played a huge part in their survive and thrive story. For Adeline, it was a deep and abiding faith. For Emil, it was a loss of faith followed by a renewal of faith...with a little help from a friend.

One of my favorite characters was Corporal Gheorghe. At first, I thought he was just a crazy guy who had survived the horrible trauma of a war inflicted head wound. As I got to know him, he became one of my favorite characters. He tenaciously held onto hope, faith and his dreams. He was a gifted encourager and faith restorer. He was very intentional and generous with his giftings.

I wish that I could have met Emil and Adeline! Even though we weren’t given the opportunity to meet in real life, I was given the privilege of meeting them through the pages of this beautifully written book. Reading this book has blessed me, encouraged me and it has helped to give me a better understanding of my own family. I also have family members, of German descent, who escaped Ukraine.

I am so grateful that this book was written and that I read it!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Lake Union Publishing through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

A great WWII novel based on the true story of a family of Black Sea Germans fleeing the Soviet advance in Eastern Europe at the end of the war. The Martels faced many incredible trials and tribulations at the hands of both the Nazis and the Russians yet came through it all with their faith and optimism for a better life still intact.

Fans of historical wartime novels will this book inspiring and I definitely recommend it -- you won't be disappointed. Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this ARC.

Fans of WWII-era stories will be enamored by The Last Green Valley. I didn't realize that it was based on a true story, which absolutely gave the tale more depth and higher stakes. The intimacy put me on the trail with the Martel family.

There were times the story seemed to slip into simply relaying events, but I suppose a story like this could tend to take the lead away from an author. Nevertheless, The Last Green Valley is a story I will never forget.

From the author of #1 bestseller "Beneath A Scarlet Sky" comes a new captivating historical novel.
"The Last Green Valley" by Mark T. Sullivan is a WWII story of a dream that leads one family to freedom. This novel is inspired by one family's unimaginable story of courage, survival and triumph. Raw and heartbreaking the Martel family flees Stalin's Russia and Hiltler's Nazi Germany, despite extreme physical and psychological challenges, to ultimately find freedom in the USA.
An inspirational and fascinating journey!

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

The Martels are a family of German origin living in the Ukraine. During the war the Germans are running from the Russians and the Martels become part of the Long Trek going west into Germany because they are true Aryans. Emil's dream is always to go west as far as he can go and Adeline is looking for a green valley. Along the way Emil's sister has an accident and her and his parents decide to go back home saying it is better to live under the Russians. Later Adeline's mother and sister decide to do the same. Finally Adeline and their two boys are separated when Emil is arrested. He tells her to go west and he will find her.

The hardships this family endures to get to safety is horrendous. At one point early on they find themselves in a middle of a tank battle and the writing was so vivid. There were miles and miles of time on trains just trying to get and keep a spot for their family. Emil is working in a camp where men are dying every day. He is helping to rebuild a hospital and working the burial squad. Adeline is living in Germany but still is threatened by Russians. The ending was particularly hair raising as Adeline and her sons try to make a break for the border and cross to the west and a reunion with Emil. What makes this all so remarkable is that this is based on a real family and their very real experiences. Most of the historical fiction during the war seems to center on the persecution of the Jews but the Martels weren't Jews but Germans.

At times the writing felt slow and then I'd feel bad because these were real events and real people. The book was so well researched and I am thankful that this family shared their story.

Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union for providing me with a copy of this book.

If you loved The Nightingale, The Book of Lost Names, and Under the Light of the Italian Moon, you MUST read The Last Green Valley!

This story, inspired by events in the dark days towards the end of WWII, follows the Martels, a family of German heritage whose ancestors lived and farmed in Ukraine for over a century. The captivating story switches between the alternating points of view of husband and wife, Emil and Adeline Martel and their search for freedom with their young boys. They must go west to pursue their hope of immigration and to escape the cruelty of the two warring forces of the Soviets and the Nazis.

After reading harrowing stories of families in France and Italy, it was fascinating, though as always, heartbreaking and horrific, to read from a German families perspective. The family faced incredible hardship on their journey, and I cried buckets. I honestly do not know how they found the strength to face the constant stream of challenges thrown at them.

The story also flashes back to the two main characters lives in 1932-33, where you also learn about the Holodomor, a part of history I was not aware of, when Joseph Stalin, the Soviet leader, cruelly caused a famine in Ukraine. The mass starvation is estimated to have killed at least two million and possibly as many as ten million. Unthinkable!

I loved that the last chapter didn't leave us in the 1940s and took you right up to 2006, providing an insight into the Martel families in later life. Do not skip over the Afterword, which was a fascinating insight into the authors' research! I truly appreciated the author retracing the families long trek, and it was marvellous that he shared this experience with the Martels two sons, who are now in their eighties.

The Last Green Valley is the first book I have read by this author. I cannot wait to read the authors' bestseller Beneath a Scarlet Sky, which is waiting for me in my TBR pile.

Thank you, Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for kindly sending me an ARC for my honest review.

The Last Green Valley by Mark Sullivan ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book is inspired by the true story of the Martel family who during the last years of WW2 were caught between the Soviet and Nazis

They, along with thousands of others, decide to join the ‘Long Trek’ west under the ‘protection’ of the Germans but Emil is soon captured by the Communists and sent back east to a prisoner of war camp while Adeline to protect their two young sons alone.

It is a truly gut wrenching read at times and I must say I found parts of the book really hard but it’s also an incredible story about hope.

Sullivan, who also wrote Under the Scarlet Sky, has again educated me in a part of history I knew very little about. A must for all historical fiction fans 👍

I read a lot of books about World War II, but surprisingly hadn’t picked up Sullivan’s previous bestseller Beneath a Scarlet Sky. I was drawn to this book by the description alone and the unique story it promised to tell. As a regular reader of historical fiction, I found it especially interesting that this was inspired by an actual family’s untold story. Sullivan’s commitment to his craft is evidenced by the research he put into this book, as well as making sure he is telling stories that are “inherently moving, inspiring, and potentially transformative” to him and his readers. We meet Emil and Adeline Martel, their two boys, and other family members in their home country of Ukraine as they begin the “Long Trek” through present-day Moldova, Romania, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Poland in 1944. I haven’t read many books that highlighted this particular aspect of WWII and had my eyes opened to those who were stuck in the no man’s land between Stalin and Hitler. The hardships the Martels endured, the bonds they maintained, and the hope they kept alive were all inspiring to read. If you ever needed to feel lucky, I would give this book a read—it really helps to put things in perspective!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and think I’ll go back and read Beneath a Scarlet Sky now! Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and Netgalley for providing me with this ARC.

• Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for providing this Advance Reading Copy. Expected publication date is May 4, 2021.

It’s 1944 and the Martels are just one of the German families that have to make a difficult decision as Stalin’s troops push into Ukraine. These families have been farming the land for centuries but now they must decide whether to follow the (wolves) Nazi officers who have pledged to protect pure-blood Germans? Or do to wait for the (bear) Soviet invasion and risk being sent to Siberia? The Martel’s hope to escape to the West but are caught between two warring forces. The story is about community, love, faith, and the will to survive.

I'm always compelled to read stories about World War II and the Holocaust, and The Last Green Valley made a change from my usual go-to's. Most fiction dedicated to this period tends to be written from the perspective of the Jewish people, so it is a unique novel in the respect that it follows the journey of an ethnic German family on their plight towards liberation.

Some of the scenarios depicted were so shocking that I had to pause and then reread them. Especially since this is based on a true story - just the sheer gravity of that and it being so removed from anything we experience in today's world. It's almost unbelievable and yet is certainly a 'stop and think' sort of book that reaffirms how grateful we should be to have even the basic necessities.

One of the things I was sceptical about during this book was the significant number of 'lucky coincidences' that may have put in question its credibility. From the afterword, however, it appears some of these were an accurate retelling of events, though I think it's largely open to interpretation as to whether they all occurred or if many were a nod to the power of faith during adversity since God/the Almighty had a strong presence throughout.

That said, two of the main protagonists were on the opposite side of the fence about this for the most part, so it was interesting to see how the faith in God vs 'man can only rely on himself' contrast played out.

The other thing I found slightly jarring was the reoccurring flashbacks. It wasn't so much that they didn't add value to the story but rather the transitions themselves from present to past. I felt that in most instances, it followed the same formula of happening upon sleep or at times of daydreaming and so, in that respect, lacked some creativity.

Overall, whilst I didn't fully engage with the core characters and found some of the scenarios questionable in their authenticity, I think this is yet another necessary WWII story and a great retelling of hardship amid a Hitler and Stalin reign.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing for granting me an ARC in return for an honest review.