A wonderful story about the struggles of a family and the extremes they will go through to stay together. Set in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union under Hitler and Stalin, the Martel family endurance some of the most unspeakable challenges a family can imagine during a war. There love and promise to each other to meet again is what drove them day by day.

What can I say about this book it truly is an amazing story about the Martel family and what they went through to get the dream life in the end.

The Martel family leave their homeland to go with the Germans instead of staying and have the Soviets take them. What they go through over the next few years is truly amazing and shows how strong a family they are.

I was hooked from the start of this book and was a very interesting to learn what they overcame to find their green valley.

Well done to the author such a remarkable book and so engrossing it certainly was sad at times but they over came it all.

If you have not read Beneath A Scarlet Sky, you HAVE to. It is one of the best books that I've ever read. I had very high hopes for this book because he did such a great job with that one.  There are so many WWII books out there and like a lot of people, this time period is so intriguing to me and I devour books about it.  This one covers a unique point of view in that the head of the family, Emil Martel, was allowed to stay home and work on the farm instead of being sent off to fight. The family is caught between Stalin's rule and the Nazi forces and when they are forced to leave the farm, their journey to find freedom begins. It harrowing and treacherous. I was so inspired by their faith and perseverance! 

This book was hard for me to read for a couple of reasons. 1.) Their little boys were aged 6 and 4... which is the exact age my 3 boys are, so I put myself in their shoes and was very anxious because of this.  2.) In a lot of cases, infants will not survive a war. I cannot handle children and babies being hurt, so this was hard to read at times. It is important to hear these stories, so I will continue to read them, but it definitely breaks your heart. There is your trigger warning.

All in all, Mark T. Sullivan did an amazing job of researching and making sure he was telling an accurate tale. This is based on a true story and I'm so glad he was able to share the Martel's story with us. It met my high hopes most nights, but there were definitely times where I felt like it could have been condensed, and I ended up skimming. This one is long! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Last Green Valley by Mark Sullivan is an utterly compelling tale of the Martel family and the extreme hardship and suffering they endure during WWII. While undeniably difficult to read at times, the author manages to clearly convey the faith, determination and optimism that ultimately lead to their survival.

Emily and Adeline Martel are ethnic Germans living in the Ukraine when they are forced to leave their home to escape Stalin. The perilous journey finds them facing intense weather, Nazis, communists and more.
The incredible attention to detail is proof of the author's fine research, but it can, at times, be overwhelming and can make the story drag.
That being said, those same details will cause me to remember this book for a very long time. The unimaginable perils that the Martels encountered made me ponder whether or not I would have had the strength or the faith to survive.

I am very grateful to NetGalley and Lake Union publishing for this ARC of The Last Green Valley.

This is a WWII historical fiction that is very hard hitting. This WWII historical fiction follows a family of German heritage whose ancestors have farmed in Ukraine for a long time before the war started. I think all the other WWII historical fiction books I have read in the past follows a Jewish family, so I feel this book is like no other WWII historical fiction book I have read in the past. I have to say this book is incredibly hard to read at times because the author goes into details about the very bad things that is happening to this family we are following. There is way to many trigger warnings to go though all of them in this review, but if you are a person that gets upset by what you read please look into the trigger warnings before reading this book. While reading this book I felt I was right there with these characters. This book was well written. The author notes at the end when into how the author came to write this book, and you find out that this book is written basic on a true story someone told the author. This was a very moving story, and it is sad that people were treated the way these characters were. This is just one of those moving heart touching book you read, and it stays with you for a long time. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Lake Union Publishing) or author (Mark T. Sullivan) via NetGalley, so I can give honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

I received an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing, and the author Mark Sullivan.
Another incredible real-life story of a family's experience of life in Eastern Europe following World War Two. Knowing very little about the experience of ethnic Germans in the Ukraine, this was a new perspective which was harrowing but nevertheless important to know.
Hard work and exhausting at times, mirroring the family's experience, it is still a tale of hope and bravery in the face of extreme adversity. Would recommend to anyone interested in WW2 historical fiction.

4.3 - a bit long-winded at times, but a fascinating based-on-true-life tale; a memorable glimpse into another less-exposed arena of WWII history

Great book on a part of ww2 that isn’t as talked about as other parts. It was a little slow at parts, but still overall a good read and would be a great book discussion book.

What a stunning and beautiful book this is. An amazing story about World War 2 sharing the perils of war and one family’s journey.

This reminded me of my elderly grandmother who was a child during the war and tells me of many stories during that time.

Highly recommend this book to all!

I really enjoyed this book and thought that it was well-thought-out and well-written. My interest was kept throughout the entire novel and I am thankful for the opportunity to read and review The Last Green Valley. I look forward to reading more books by Mark Sullivan.

Having loved Sullivan's previous book, Under a Scarlet Sky, I was very excited to get his new book The Last Green Valley, Unfortunately, I'm finding it very hard to read books about war and survival this year. I have tried to start and have stopped reading this book four times. So, I am not finishing this book; it's not the book but it's me right now.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy for review. I hope it finds the readership it desires.

This was a wonderful book. Based on a true accounts of a German family in Russia as WWll begins do they stay or go with the Nazis to settle in Germany. I didn’t know about this part of the war and the historical begins of Germans in Russia it was fascinating reading. I would recommend to anyone who likes historical fiction or WWll books

This book was a great historical fiction read, it was based on read people who had lived during WWII. It follows the family of German Heritage and the difficult decision they are forced to make, should they remain in Ukraine or flee West. I did not read this authors previous book but after finishing this one I'll be going back to pick up Beneath a Scarlet Sky.

I really wanted to love this book as much as I did Beneath the Scarlet Sky. But I just didn’t. It was still a definite 4 star read and recommendation from me to historical fiction readers. It just didn’t have me on the edge of my seat like the first book. I will definitely keep reading what this author writes. Will always be on my preferred authors list.

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley and also own a copy.

I have heard incredible things about this author, and I couldn't wait to dive in to this.
While the author's note at the start intrigued me greatly, I felt no connection to the characters and their story for quite a while. It felt like it had rushed straight into their plight, with the father's arrest, but while I had sympathy, it didn't engage me or pull on my heart strings as much as a scene like that should have.
This detachment continued for most of the book and while I enjoyed the story (if 'enjoy' is the right word), any WWII historical fiction normally blows me away, and this unfortunately didn't.
I would like to read Sullivan's previous book as I wanted to love this, so hopefully that one will leave the impact on me that I was expecting with this one.

As a HUGE fan of Beneath a Scarlet Sky I wasn't sure if The last Green Valley could hold up. The important thing to remember here is this is its own story and cannot be compared to Beneath a Scarlet Sky. Mark Sullivan did such an amazing job telling this story of the Martels. I felt like I was on the trek with them. I felt their hunger, their fear, their love, their gratitude. I fell into the story and days later after finishing am still trying to pull myself back to reality. Book hangover is a real thing with this book. Its riviting and encompases your whole being until the very last page. The world would be better If there were more Amil and Adeline Martel's. May we all find out own Last Green Valley.

This book is an amazing and gripping ww2 novel based on a true story. It is obvious the author has done so much research on this story. It shows so much in the atmosphere and well wrote novel. After loving one of the authors other books beneath a scarlet sky, I had to read this one and I was not disappointed one bit. This is a book you will not be able to put down. So much praise and thanks to the author for bringing this amazing story of one families struggle to survive the long journey to escape the war and communist rule. I will definitely be reading all this authors books. Also reviewed on amazon, goodreads, Google books, waterstones and kobo

Thoroughly enjoyed this. Read under a scarlet sky so was interested to read this. The author has the knack of finding true stories from the most unimaginable people, people you would never have heard of normally who struggle to survive, but in that survival reveal a.world we have never heard of. I knew little of the Ukrainian struggle before and after.the war, tensions which don't seem to have gone away today. A family trying to flee west but having to do so under the protection of the fleeing Germans, anxious to get there before stalins army catch up with them. A riveting escape, with characters you always root for and care what happens to them

Mark Sullivan, author of Beneath the Scarlet Sky, has written another page turner in The Last Green Valley. Did I like it as much as Pino in WWII war-torn Italy? No, but I recommend any book Sullivan writes as he always spins a riviting tale. Enjoy and spread the word!

Historical fiction fans, don’t sleep on The Last Green Valley!

Based off of one family’s true story of survival, this is a stunning piece of work. It’s enthralling and grabbed me from the very beginning. This was a unique perspective, as it details a German family living in Ukraine as Stalin forces moved in. They are torn between following the wolves (Nazis) who have promised to protect them, or wait for the bears (Stalin’s army) to come do with them what they wish. This family fights to stay together as these huge forces circle around them. It’s captivating and wholly interesting! This book details their brutal immigration West as they leave their family homesteads and struggle to survive.

I was hooked on this one from the beginning. I loved the rich details and all of the thought the author had to put into it. I resonated deeply with the Mother, as she tries to stay strong and lead her family to safety. It’s written so beautifully and captures their journey so well, you can almost feel the ruts in the road under the wagon. That it’s a true story just elevates the book more for me. 5⭐️ Thank you @amazonpublishing for the advance reader in exchange for my honest review!