The Last Green Valley

The Last Green Valley is a 2021 historical novel by Mark Sullivan. It is Sullivan’s second work of historical fiction following his 2017 New York Times best-selling novel Beneath a Scarlet Sky. In addition to historical fiction, Sullivan has written over a dozen thriller novels and co-writes the Private series with James Patterson. Sullivan has received numerous accolades including a New York Times Notable Books mention and a Los Angeles Times Best Book of the Year award. The Last Green Valley is based on the real-life Martel family’s escape from the Soviet Union during World War II. The main events take place from 1944 to 1951, with flashbacks to key events from 1929 to 1941. The narrative is told from a third-person omniscient point of view, with a focus on two main protagonists, Adeline and Emil Martel.

This study guide uses the 2021 print edition of the novel from Lake Union Publishing.

Content Warning: The source material contains depictions of violence, murder, and sexual assault. It also uses offensive terms for Jewish people, some of which appear in this guide in direct quotes from the source text.