Rating: 5 Stars
The Last Green Valley is an amazing story of courage, family, hope and survival. Just as with Sullivan’s earlier novel Beneath a Scarlet Sky, this book is based on the true story of the Martel family and how they escaped the advancing Russian army with nothing but the few possessions they could pack into a single wagon.
The war is in full force in Europe. The Germany army is retreating on both fronts and the Martel family must decide if they want to stay in the Ukraine and again be under Stalin’s rule or as “pure” Germans be relocated to Germany. For Emil, the decision is easy. He knows what it is to live under Russian rule and he wants to be free and dreams of a better life in the West. He even dares to dream about immigrating to the United States.
However, to make his dream come true he will have to move his wife and two young sons through the war ridden countryside. The family, along with other refugees, follow the Germany army as they retreat before the oncoming Russians. While the Germans have offered to resettle them, their help will come at a price. The Martels will face many trials in their journey to freedom in the West.
This is such a moving story. I can’t begin to imagine how hard it was to survive during WWII. The tenacity of Emil and Adeline was incredible. Most would have given up their dreams and just lived under Stalin’s rule when faced with the hardships and unknown.
The story is well researched and told with beauty and compassion. The prose was descriptive and I felt he did justice to the characters. In short, it was outstanding and it is books like this that fuel my passion for historical fiction.
A must read for all lovers of history and historical fiction. In addition, this is a great book club pick because the topics this book covers a vast array of topics of the time that are still relevant today.