The Last Green Valley: A Novel
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- Create Date：2021-05-29 12:32:01
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Mark T. Sullivan
- ISBN：1978637616
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Summary
From the author of the #1 bestseller Beneath a Scarlet Sky comes a new historical novel inspired by one family’s incredible story of daring， survival， and triumph。
In late March 1944， as Stalin’s forces push into Ukraine， young Emil and Adeline Martel must make a terrible decision: Do they wait for the Soviet bear’s intrusion and risk being sent to Siberia？ Or do they reluctantly follow the wolves—murderous Nazi officers who have pledged to protect “pure-blood” Germans？
The Martels are one of many families of German heritage whose ancestors have farmed in Ukraine for more than a century。 But after already living under Stalin’s horrifying regime， Emil and Adeline decide they must run in retreat from their land with the wolves they despise to escape the Soviets and go in search of freedom。
Caught between two warring forces and overcoming horrific trials to pursue their hope of immigrating to the West， the Martels’ story is a brutal， complex， and ultimately triumphant tale that illuminates the extraordinary power of love， faith， and one family’s incredible will to survive and see their dreams realized。
In late March 1944， as Stalin’s forces push into Ukraine， young Emil and Adeline Martel must make a terrible decision: Do they wait for the Soviet bear’s intrusion and risk being sent to Siberia？ Or do they reluctantly follow the wolves—murderous Nazi officers who have pledged to protect “pure-blood” Germans？
The Martels are one of many families of German heritage whose ancestors have farmed in Ukraine for more than a century。 But after already living under Stalin’s horrifying regime， Emil and Adeline decide they must run in retreat from their land with the wolves they despise to escape the Soviets and go in search of freedom。
Caught between two warring forces and overcoming horrific trials to pursue their hope of immigrating to the West， the Martels’ story is a brutal， complex， and ultimately triumphant tale that illuminates the extraordinary power of love， faith， and one family’s incredible will to survive and see their dreams realized。
Reviews
Deidra
，
So very good。
Gale Costa
，
An Unbelievable story！Once again Michael Sullivan has given us a look at a family who survived in a time of history that was so horrific just a thought of it made me quiver。 How they had the wherewithal and stamina to keep going is beyond me！ Caught between two of the worst dictators， history was made， freedom & prosperity was found in America！
Jolene Elison
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This is an American immigrant story， a spiritual and universal story。 May we all dare to chase such dreams， experience such grace， and lead such miraculous lives。
Christine Sokomba
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Based on a true story， this is an incredible and unique WWII novel。 I learned so much that I had no idea about regarding Stalin and Soviet control during and after the war。 The Martel family's story of love and persistence and determination was one I won't soon forget。 This was another great book by Mark Sullivan！ Based on a true story， this is an incredible and unique WWII novel。 I learned so much that I had no idea about regarding Stalin and Soviet control during and after the war。 The Martel family's story of love and persistence and determination was one I won't soon forget。 This was another great book by Mark Sullivan！ 。。。more
Ann
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This is truly one of the most amazing books I have read in a long time。
mary
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how fortunate for all of us that Mr Sullivan has had the good fortune to develop his encounters into wonderfully written stories。I have not read much regarding the Germans that were living in Russia。 I know from my ancestry war here was constant in this greater geography I really appreciate him bringing this to life。
Cassie
，
Incredible， Moving Story！ Love！！ Mark Sullivan did it again！ This book and the story of the Martels is incredible！ I love it！ I smiled， I cried（bawled my eyes out）， I cheered， I sat on the edge of my seat and I learned。 I am so thankful to have been able to read the story of the Martel family。 I 100% recommend The Last Green Valley。 I hope this isn’t Sullivan’s last memoir/historical fiction book。 His writing is great and the stories he shares are truly inspiring and incredible。 Read The Last Gr Incredible， Moving Story！ Love！！ Mark Sullivan did it again！ This book and the story of the Martels is incredible！ I love it！ I smiled， I cried（bawled my eyes out）， I cheered， I sat on the edge of my seat and I learned。 I am so thankful to have been able to read the story of the Martel family。 I 100% recommend The Last Green Valley。 I hope this isn’t Sullivan’s last memoir/historical fiction book。 His writing is great and the stories he shares are truly inspiring and incredible。 Read The Last Green Valley & Beneath A Scarlet Sky！ 。。。more
Michael
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EXCELLENT book。
Teresa
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Mr。 Sullivan nailed this one。 I was not a lover of the Scarlet Sky but wow， he did a great job on this storyline。 I felt as if I was right there with this entire family and their trials and tribulations。 I listened to the audible version and was pleased with the narrator except for the children voices， they were irritating。 I have read many WWII books but none that had presented a trek of a family across country escorted by the Germans。 Traveling by foot， train and wagon trains。 It was hard to p Mr。 Sullivan nailed this one。 I was not a lover of the Scarlet Sky but wow， he did a great job on this storyline。 I felt as if I was right there with this entire family and their trials and tribulations。 I listened to the audible version and was pleased with the narrator except for the children voices， they were irritating。 I have read many WWII books but none that had presented a trek of a family across country escorted by the Germans。 Traveling by foot， train and wagon trains。 It was hard to put this one down， I became so engrossed in wanting to know what was going to happen next。 So many emotions surfaced， love， loss， pain， sadness， horror， fear but always hope for the green valley。 Hight 5 stars。 。。。more
Valeria Spencer
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I loved Beneath the Scarlet Sky， and Sullivan delivers again in Valley。 I had to keep reminding myself this was based on a real family， the Martels， and their incredible journey in 1944 from Ukrainian to Poland， to Soviet occupied East Germany， and Soviet labor camps， and more。 What an incredible story that had me on the edge of my seat。 I have read many， many WWII books， and Sullivan has been able to add richly to my knowledge of the war。 Adeline and Emil Martel lived in Ukraine and suffered mi I loved Beneath the Scarlet Sky， and Sullivan delivers again in Valley。 I had to keep reminding myself this was based on a real family， the Martels， and their incredible journey in 1944 from Ukrainian to Poland， to Soviet occupied East Germany， and Soviet labor camps， and more。 What an incredible story that had me on the edge of my seat。 I have read many， many WWII books， and Sullivan has been able to add richly to my knowledge of the war。 Adeline and Emil Martel lived in Ukraine and suffered mightily under Stalin （mightily as in nearly starving to death）。 There is a lot of background information given about the USSR that was fascinating and incomprehensible。 Stalin was a madman。 Pre WWII was bad， Post WWII was not any better。 I highly recommend this book; just know that it pulls no punches in its brutality。 That these wonderful people survived it and went on to live happy lives is an amazing testament to their faith and iron will to live their dreams。 Well done， Mr。 Sullivan。 。。。more
Harris
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"We can stay and wait for the bear that we know will kill us， or rape you and kill me and the boys， or imprison us all in Siberia。 Or we can run with the wolves that will protect us until we can make our escape west。 Escape the war。 Escape everything。"Emil and Adeline have to make a difficult decision in March of 1944 as the Soviets move west through their land in Ukraine: do they wait to be overrun by the Communist regime that they've suffered under for years and know their fate or risk retreat "We can stay and wait for the bear that we know will kill us， or rape you and kill me and the boys， or imprison us all in Siberia。 Or we can run with the wolves that will protect us until we can make our escape west。 Escape the war。 Escape everything。"Emil and Adeline have to make a difficult decision in March of 1944 as the Soviets move west through their land in Ukraine: do they wait to be overrun by the Communist regime that they've suffered under for years and know their fate or risk retreating with the Nazis because of their German ancestry？ So begins another gripping and well told historical fiction by Mark Sullivan who seems to have a knack for meeting people with amazing stories to tell and filling in the blanks。 Yes， this is not nonfiction as he indicates in the preface; it is a novel， based around real people and their experiences， but because Emil and Adeline passed away prior to meeting them Mr。 Sullivan has to take a number of liberties to make their story complete in a way that he envisioned it occurring。 What I thoroughly enjoy about this book is that it's a great history lesson about an aspect of World War II that I had no idea about。 It's also unique insofar that most works of historical fiction that focus on World War II start around the inception of the war， whereas this story begins in a little over a year before it ended。A solid 4。5 stars。 。。。more
Flowergarden24
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This is a good reminder of what people went through during this time period and how strongly they endured everything。 Some of the parts got a little too preachy when talking about how the universe gives you challenges and God is teaching you things and the sun will come up tomorrow。 It didn't come up for a whole lot of people and there are no wise and wonderful things to say about that。 The escape to West Germany was harrowing to read。 Reading this might get many people to stop complaining abou This is a good reminder of what people went through during this time period and how strongly they endured everything。 Some of the parts got a little too preachy when talking about how the universe gives you challenges and God is teaching you things and the sun will come up tomorrow。 It didn't come up for a whole lot of people and there are no wise and wonderful things to say about that。 The escape to West Germany was harrowing to read。 Reading this might get many people to stop complaining about small things， at least for a day。 Nice follow up of this family's life in Montana and good to see the photos。 。。。more
Andrea
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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。 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。 。。。more
KishAn Aranwela
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Heartbreaking but a marvellous story！ Amazing。。 as usual， I love the story but at the same time makes me wonder how humans do such things to fellow humans and also how strong and resilient human can be at times。。 It hurts to think many thousand were not so lucky as Martels and wonder whether miracles do happen for real。
William
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I rated this book 4 stars because of the story， but I thought the writing， especially the dialogue was a bit corny。 However， I congratulate the author on a well-researched and fascinating story of human will， endurance and survival。
J。 Evans
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I liked this story as indeed ‘Beneath a scarlet sky。’ Again a very good story all the more amazing because of its truth， although of course fictionalised。 I only mark it down slightly because I find something in his writing which makes it difficult somehow。 Probably a personal compatibility thing but there it is。
Joanne Williams
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This novel is based on the true story of one extended family’s attempt to escape Russia & the oppression of Stalin during World War 2。 The author develops the story based on the facts。 The characters are well developed and believable。 Their emotions as well as their travel experiences are experienced by the reader。
Marianne
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Compelling story of life and escape from the Iron CurtainCompelling true story of a family trapped behind the Iron Curtain after WW 2， and their subsequent escape to the West。
CyGrrl
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This is a great read。 While I loved Beneath the Scarlet Sky， this book has an equally compelling story， wonderful characters， and powerful ontology。 Sullivan has developed his skills as a gifted storyteller over the years and has a knack for finding historical events that are important and need to be shared。 In The Last Green Valley， the Martel family face unspeakable hardships and struggle with how to cope， losing their life’s purpose and question their faith and future。 Ultimately the characte This is a great read。 While I loved Beneath the Scarlet Sky， this book has an equally compelling story， wonderful characters， and powerful ontology。 Sullivan has developed his skills as a gifted storyteller over the years and has a knack for finding historical events that are important and need to be shared。 In The Last Green Valley， the Martel family face unspeakable hardships and struggle with how to cope， losing their life’s purpose and question their faith and future。 Ultimately the characters must overcome the tragedies of WWII， confront their individual existential crisis so they can persevere and find hope。 The overall effect is moral fable that feels like exactly the kind of tonic the world needs right now。 This book will stay in your heart。 Highly recommend for fans of historical fiction。 。。。more
Robert Radin
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Sad historyThis well-written book has chilling connections to today's world: the rise of authoritarianism， lies promulgated as the truth， rampant anti-Semitism， disdain of immigrants， just to name a few。 How the Martels survived all of this and finally thrived makes for satisfying reading。 I hadn't realized all the hardships and cruelty that happened in Ukraine during WWII。 Parts of the book were incredibly difficult to read， and I found myself taking numerous breaks just to process what I read。 Sad historyThis well-written book has chilling connections to today's world: the rise of authoritarianism， lies promulgated as the truth， rampant anti-Semitism， disdain of immigrants， just to name a few。 How the Martels survived all of this and finally thrived makes for satisfying reading。 I hadn't realized all the hardships and cruelty that happened in Ukraine during WWII。 Parts of the book were incredibly difficult to read， and I found myself taking numerous breaks just to process what I read。 My only criticism is the constant insertion of religion， which may be off-putting to many readers。 All in all a good read。 。。。more
Shelley Johansen
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Great account of immigrant family in the last years of WWII and afterCaught between advancing Russian troops and Nazis they fight with 2 little boys to survive
Leslie
，
4。5
Gulpreet
，
An excellent read。 。。。
Mary Bradshaw
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Outstanding， Above and BeyondIf you didn’t know it before， this wonderful story of perseverance， bravery and sheer hardship， based on one family’s long long journey， will bring home to you the hardship and experience of many Europeans after the Second World War。 It may be a novel， but it is based on extraordinarily well researched truths and a very real amazing family。 I can think of no better way of bringing an understanding of post war Europe home， and also， too， of the role of faith and belie Outstanding， Above and BeyondIf you didn’t know it before， this wonderful story of perseverance， bravery and sheer hardship， based on one family’s long long journey， will bring home to you the hardship and experience of many Europeans after the Second World War。 It may be a novel， but it is based on extraordinarily well researched truths and a very real amazing family。 I can think of no better way of bringing an understanding of post war Europe home， and also， too， of the role of faith and belief in arming people in the struggles they face。 If there is one criticism， it is that you have to have a map by you to bring home the enormity of the distances involved， and the geography of the trek。。。。difficult when you gripped in the middle of reading the story into the small hours！！ An excellent read， full of humour too。 。。。more
Michelle
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After enjoying Beneath a Scarlet Sky I was very excited to win a goodreads giveaway for The Last Green Valley。 It started out a bit slow for me but did pick up。 This family suffered through so many horrible situations （as many did during WWII） that you couldn't help but root for them。 Chapter 32 was a pivotal point in the book where Emil changes his perspective and perhaps his future。 This chapter really made me think。 I would have liked if the author had included a map of the area because there After enjoying Beneath a Scarlet Sky I was very excited to win a goodreads giveaway for The Last Green Valley。 It started out a bit slow for me but did pick up。 This family suffered through so many horrible situations （as many did during WWII） that you couldn't help but root for them。 Chapter 32 was a pivotal point in the book where Emil changes his perspective and perhaps his future。 This chapter really made me think。 I would have liked if the author had included a map of the area because there were many times I would have liked to reference where they were。 。。。more
Charlotte Musser
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Another great storySo many ups and downs in this story。 How does anyone endure such things？ Great historical read。 Enjoyed this book。
Myong J
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Great life This story made me appreciate God’s blessings on those who love Him。Well written and very interesting。We should always appreciate the freedom in this country。
Lesley
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Have you heard of the Holodomor under Stalin？Sullivan's first book， Beneath a Scarlet Sky is one of my top ten and this one is not far behind。 If you love history and the survivalist in humans， read this book。 This family made a truly LONG and emotionally toiling journey。 It still surprises me what programs families endured during those times。 Some lived to tell about it so it wouldn't happen again。 " At some point， you'll have to decide where you want to spend your life - in slavery or in freed Have you heard of the Holodomor under Stalin？Sullivan's first book， Beneath a Scarlet Sky is one of my top ten and this one is not far behind。 If you love history and the survivalist in humans， read this book。 This family made a truly LONG and emotionally toiling journey。 It still surprises me what programs families endured during those times。 Some lived to tell about it so it wouldn't happen again。 " At some point， you'll have to decide where you want to spend your life - in slavery or in freedom。 " Emil Martel。 。。。more
Matthew Wentworth
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