The Last Green Valley: A Novel

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Mark is one of the most gifted and successful novelists of our generation. His ability to weave drama, morality, and emotion through wonderfully captivating stories of the human spirit puts him among the greats.” — Tony Robbins, #1 New York Times bestselling author and the nation’s #1 life and business strategist Yes,” she said. She rounded the house and saw Emil hunched over, holding on to the wagon with one hand, gasping, his eyes closed, his features twisted with pain as his free hand clawed at his chest. She felt the same way when they left the village, heading west with the rising sun and cannon fire still rumbling behind them, past fields waiting for plowing, and trees budding, and birds whirling and whistling above the bluffs, and dreams destroyed, buried by the realities of famine and war. That’s why we’re leaving,” Emil said as he loaded the burlap bags into the big wagon, then looked at Adeline in irritation. “We should have been up and gone with my parents.” I think Sullivan is wonderful at researching and writing about low-profile people from history. I really enjoyed his previous story called "Beneath a Scarlet Sky." I didn't think I had an emotional attachment to the characters until something happened to one of them and I almost cried.

The Last Green Valley by Mark Sullivan | Waterstones

Stroking her son’s face, Adeline gazed into Will’s eyes, smiled, and said, “We’re going to a beautiful green valley surrounded by mountains and forests. And snow up high on the peaks. And below, there will be a winding river and fields of grain for bread, and gardens with vegetables to feed us, and Papa will build us a house where we’ll all live together forever and ever, and we’ll never be apart.” Other reviewers have called the book “well-researched” but there are no notes or a bibliography and the author admittedly refers to the work as “historical fiction” rather than “narrative non-fiction”. It’s “researched” in that he interviewed the family and the strategic historical facts are accurate (i.e. what Stalin did to his own people, the westerly trek of the Volksdeutche) but I wouldn’t considered it “researched” and certainly not “well researched”. The raw wind gusted. A curled brown leaf from the previous autumn lifted from the dead grass to Adeline’s left, spun, looped, and danced across the stubble and around her and the boys in a curious, stuttering pattern before the gust sighed and the leaf tumbled softly to earth. It reminded her of a night long before when she’d seen money appear on the wind, a single crumpled bill that had danced before her in the same curious manner as this leaf, as if in response to some desperate and primal prayer. Como en su anterior novela una pluma super cuidada, trasmitiendo lo que tuvieron que pasar tanto refugiados como prisioneros. Se sabe mucho sobre la Segunda Guerra Mundial, y este momento ocurre durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial y durante el régimen de Stalin, del cual yo se poco.This is not an easy read, given the subject matter, but there are some lovely moments. I particularly liked the character of Colonel Gheorghe and was pleased to learn he had been based on a real person.

The Last Green Valley by Mark Sullivan - Fantastic Fiction The Last Green Valley by Mark Sullivan - Fantastic Fiction

Says Sullivan, “While the previous two novels, in essence, fell into my lap for the tone of the World War II stories, this next one will be a radical departure from that. Rest assured, though, that this will be a story where the characters, as well as myself, will go in deep and come out with our humanity intact.” When the Soviet Union invades Ukraine during World War II, Emil and Adeline decide to flee with their two young sons, Will and Walt. Unfortunately, their best chance at survival involves siding with the Nazis and heading to Germany. Will they succeed?Writer’s Digest (co-written with Connor Sullivan): “8 Ways to Add Suspense to your Novel – Writer’s Digest” The Last Green Valley is my first by Mark Sullivan, and it won’t be my last. Based on the factual life of the Martel family, of their journey to freedom, the heartache and devastating trials they encountered along the way, the author’s writing is sublime. His descriptions of their journey; of the prison camp Emil was incarcerated in for so long; of Adeline and the small church one Christmas Eve; of the many people the Martels encountered along the way – I could picture it all with ease. I thoroughly enjoyed The Last Green Valley and it is one I highly recommend. Mark T. Sullivan (b. 1958) is an author of thrillers. Born in a Boston suburb, he joined the Peace Corp after college, traveling to West Africa to live with a tribe of Saharan nomads. Upon returning to the United States, he took a job at Reuters, beginning a decade-long career in journalism that would eventually lead to a job as an investigative reporter for the San Diego Tribune. Beneath a Scarlet Sky is in my top 5 for WWII historical fiction so it only figures that while The Last Green Valley was one of my most anticipated reads when it was released, I waited until now to read it.