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"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"--… (more)
User reviews
This is historical fiction about the experiences of an ethnic German family in 1944 as German soldiers led them, along with many other
I'll say this for the book: it is interesting. And that's a good reason to read it. But I want historical fiction to be more than that. A history book is interesting.
I won THE LAST GREEN VALLEY through goodreads.com.
When Stalin had taken over the Ukraine, the German families starved and family members disappeared into
But then the war turned again and in March 1944 Stalin’s troops were pushing into the Ukraine. The Martels knew that if they were captured by the Russians they would be condemned as Germans and sent to concentration camps. Their only option was to join the fleeing Nazis, whom they not only hated, but to do so would be brand them as Nazis and end their dream of someday emigrating to Western freedom.
This is a vividly written story of very hard choices. It is a part of WWII history that I did not know and found fascinating.
It was page turning until the last few chapters; then we see how the surviving family became a prominent family in Bozeman, Montana. But somehow, the immediacy is lost in these chapters as the author tells us what happened instead of keeping us within the story.
The historical fiction novel is beautifully and eloquently written sharing a phenomenal story of one family's journey to freedom. It is a testament to the human will to
It was especially captivating to read thought-provoking questions that Adeline Martel (daughter, sister, wife, mother) asked herself as she found joy in watching her sister have a short time of pleasure during a segment of their trip, "Can happiness be that easy? Finding little joys in the worst moments?"
I highly recommend that each reader continues reading after the last chapter turning pages to the "Afterword" and then to the "Acknowledgments" to then become absorbed in the author's journey of storytelling from the moment he heard the Martel's family story.
I will remember the Martel's story each time I see another photograph in the news about refugees. Viewing the faces and knowing that each face is part of a family, knowing that each family holds dreams of a better tomorrow, and with hopes and prayers that their journey will one day lead them to the freedom they seek. I will remember.
At this point with the world focus on the Ukraine, with this read we return there, and begin our journey with the Martel family, and a journey that hold you spell bound,
Emil and Adeline and their young sons journey from one tyranny to another, and we follow their path to survival.
This is a fictional account of actual events, and it is a story about a real family, and I loved the updates at the end, so that all of my lingering questions were answered, and yes, I had many!
You don’t want to miss this one, and we need to learn from it!
The first thing I want to say about this book is
The first scene I want to talk about is the scene with them running away from the tanks. It was so damn intense, I swore for a moment I was watching an action scene playing out in a movie. I almost started crying when the horses got hurt, but I can't be mad at Emil. He was scared and trying to save his family! He even felt guilty about it and did his best to help mend their wounds, bless him.
One of the first things I thought about when I was a few chapters in was about how people always write about these supernatural creatures as these evil hellbent beings, but the real monsters, the real demons, are human beings. That's not to say this book talks about supernatural beings, it doesn't, but that's just what I thought about when they were describing the cruelty that was happening around them. This book just reinforces the fact that I would take a demon or a supernatural creature any day over a human being.
I think the scene that left me the most speechless was when Haussman shot at Emil. The way it was written, I was sure he had shot him dead and my mouth hung open in shock. I stopped and stared at that paragraph for a solid minute or so before I moved on. I was ready to cry, too, because I really love Emil. Such a good man and father!
"We come in with nothing, and we go out with nothing." - Emil Martel.
Now, let me say this - I am an atheist. I don't believe in god or religion at all. Not to say that's bad. If someone wants to believe or needs to believe in order to get through the hell that is life, then that's on them, I won't tell them otherwise unless they try to force it on me. Honestly, I just try to avoid it and I felt uncomfortable every time it was mentioned, but I understand. With everything the Martel clan went through, all the horrors they faced and saw, they needed something to believe in. I did find myself getting a bit annoyed at Adeline when she would get upset at Emil when he stopped believing. But as the book went on, she got better about it, which I'm thankful for because I really like Adeline. She's a damn good mother and a strong woman. I don't think I could have survived what she went through, she's a good role model.
Another part that was unbelievable was what happened to Rese. I was in shock at what had happened to her. No one deserves that mess, but Rese of all people? She was such a free spirit, so much fun and full of life. To go through something so traumatic and life-changing... I felt so sorry for her.
Karoline, on the other hand, is a character I'm perfectly satisfied with hating. She's such a bitch. Manipulative and self-centered. She doesn't care about anyone but herself and her own beliefs. What she said about Rese... I get being in shock but goddamn. That was too far. I really fucking hate her, even thinking about her pisses me off. How someone like her can raise such an amazing son such as Emil, I will never understand.
And Marie! Poor Marie, losing both of her babies in such a short time. I'm still shocked that she jumped into that truck and I hope whatever life that led her to, she was able to find some peace within herself.
I feel like the Martel clan splitting up was a bad idea. It's the first rule of any horror movie, you know? Never split up because you're much stronger together. It broke my heart when they separated, I really liked Adeline's side of the family. Though I felt betrayed on Adeline's part when her mother said those things about Emil.
I never went to school, so the things most human beings learned about history, I never did, so the things I read about in this book were... appalling. To think that the women had to hide out in a fucking church with the doors barred just to avoid being raped as a fucking reward of war... I mean, I know women weren't equal back then but that's just ridiculous. I would have flipped my shit if Adeline didn't talk her way out of being raped by that douchebag.
"When you suffer and curse your life, the Almighty listens closely. When you have no goodness in your heart or your prayers. No love. No calm. No desire to help others. No thankfulness for the miracle of your life. When you hold things like hatred or anger in your heart or envy or comparison, when life is all about how everything is unfair to me, me, me, the Divine understands those ancient languages of self-destruction, too. The thing is, the Universal Intelligence will help you even if your dreams come from a dark place, but the dreams will end up destroying you in the process. If you don't believe me, think of Hitler or any other tyrant. So live here, Martel. Love life like it is a miracle every day, every moment, and dream in a way that helps others." - Colonel Gheorghe
Colonel Gheorghe was a weird one when he first appeared, but my god is he one of the very best characters in this book. A wonderful and wise man and I'm so fucking happy he reached his dreams.
Finally, I was surprised when I heard that Emil was only getting .50𝇍 an hour. I guess things really were different back then. I mean, I knew that already, but hearing how little he got paid when he put in so much work. Though I imagine things weren't nearly as expensive back then as they are today.
I feel like Adeline and Emil are the true couple goals. They love each other so damn much that they risked life and limb to be together again. To be a family again. Their story is inspiring and unbelievable. The things they witnessed, the things they went through, the hardships they suffered... they are so damn strong and brave and, in my opinion, they are heroes. I'm so fucking thankful they made it to their beautiful valley where they were able to raise their children and see their grandchildren.
"Don't chew on the bad things that happen to you, dear. Try to see the beauty in every cruelty. It sets you free. Forgive hurt if you want to heal a broken heart. Try to be grateful for every setback or tragedy, because by living through them, you become strong." - Adeline Martel.
Rest in peace, guys. You were all so strong and beautiful and thank you for sharing your story and for sharing you life lessons. Many people can learn for their story if given the chance.