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josiethompson's review against another edition
5.0
This book was very very good. Definitely a longer one and it took me nearly a month (3 weeks?) to finish it, but it was totally worth it.
The story is so inspiring with God and faith so beautifully worked into it - if not the main point of their whole lives.
10/10 would recommend.
The story is so inspiring with God and faith so beautifully worked into it - if not the main point of their whole lives.
10/10 would recommend.
alainanicole224's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
guffeybrittanym's review against another edition
5.0
Probably the best book I've ever read, such an amazing story!!!
logoddess's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
tiffany86's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
pam2375's review against another edition
5.0
This book is WONDERFUL! It is another perspective of the atrocities of WWII under Soviet rule.
This is the story of the Martel family, Emil, Adeline and their two sons Walt and Will. They must somehow try to survive and thrive while keeping their faith that they will, someday, somehow find the Last Green Valley as they flee the Soviets in Ukraine as German refugees.
Their journey is filled with the unspeakable and unimaginable atrocities. How they survive is absolutely miraculous! I loved this family and I loved many of the characters that they encounter along the way. I cried, I laughed and I prayed right along with them as they continued on their journey.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for this advanced readers copy. This book is scheduled to release on May 4, 2021.
This is the story of the Martel family, Emil, Adeline and their two sons Walt and Will. They must somehow try to survive and thrive while keeping their faith that they will, someday, somehow find the Last Green Valley as they flee the Soviets in Ukraine as German refugees.
Their journey is filled with the unspeakable and unimaginable atrocities. How they survive is absolutely miraculous! I loved this family and I loved many of the characters that they encounter along the way. I cried, I laughed and I prayed right along with them as they continued on their journey.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for this advanced readers copy. This book is scheduled to release on May 4, 2021.
messydepressy's review against another edition
5.0
Incredible book. I finished it in two days because I couldn't put it down. Mark Sulliven did an excellent job of telling a true story.
bbog's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Great story about one family's improbable journey leaving the Soviets. Super inspiring and eye-opening
nikki_booknook's review against another edition
5.0
In The Last Green Valley, Mark Sullivan brings us the story of the Martel family and their long, arduous escape from the evils of the end of World War II. The ethnic German family, including parents Emil and Adeline and their two young sons, Walt and Will, make the decision to leave behind the life they’ve built for themselves in Ukraine to escape the inevitability of once again living under Stalin’s barbaric control.
Their journey towards freedom in Adeline’s dream of a lush green valley where their family can settle once and for all is a constant life or death struggle. We follow the Martel’s and their extended family’s travels through several European countries in a search for a better life. This extraordinary tale is told from multiple points of view and through alternating timelines. Sullivan’s descriptions of the people, places, and events really brought the story to life for this reader, and I found myself skimming ahead at certain points, feeling dread over what was potentially to come and needing to brace myself for the possibilities.
While the book is historical fiction, it is based on the stories shared with the author by the Martel sons, Will and Walt, and other friends and family members of the family. There are several historically accurate accounts of atrocities and hardships faced by many ethnic Germans, Jews, Russians, and others living under the brutality of Joseph Stalin and Adolf Hitler’s regimes. I was riveted and stopped here and there throughout the book to read the true accounts of some of the people and places detailed therein. In a sea of recent World War II era tales, Mark Sullivan’s work stands out for me as one of the best in the genre.
Their journey towards freedom in Adeline’s dream of a lush green valley where their family can settle once and for all is a constant life or death struggle. We follow the Martel’s and their extended family’s travels through several European countries in a search for a better life. This extraordinary tale is told from multiple points of view and through alternating timelines. Sullivan’s descriptions of the people, places, and events really brought the story to life for this reader, and I found myself skimming ahead at certain points, feeling dread over what was potentially to come and needing to brace myself for the possibilities.
While the book is historical fiction, it is based on the stories shared with the author by the Martel sons, Will and Walt, and other friends and family members of the family. There are several historically accurate accounts of atrocities and hardships faced by many ethnic Germans, Jews, Russians, and others living under the brutality of Joseph Stalin and Adolf Hitler’s regimes. I was riveted and stopped here and there throughout the book to read the true accounts of some of the people and places detailed therein. In a sea of recent World War II era tales, Mark Sullivan’s work stands out for me as one of the best in the genre.