Historical fiction being my favorite genre and Lisa Wingate’s exceptional ability to tell a story by immersing the reader into the storyline made this read unforgettable. The dual storylines of early 1900’s and 1990, both in Oklahoma kept me reading much past my normal bedtime. The early storyline focuses on 11 year old Olive, escaping her stepfather while trying to save 6 year old Choctaw boarder, Nessa, from his horrific intentions. Along their route they meet many children, abandoned and living in the woods having to steal their food…so very heartbreaking. So loved the foresight and empathy that Ollie had for both Nessa and her pony.
In 1990 we meet park ranger, Val, and her son who are recovering from the tragic loss of her husband. She is thrust into a mystery involving the discovery of three small sets of bones from young females, followed by the hunt for a missing hiker. Her persistence in the path of the male dominated force was truly inspirational. Loved the dynamics between she and Curtis. The two storylines merge in a very interesting way.
The highlight for me was the spotlight placed on the appallingly shameless land grab supposedly upstanding citizens made on the children from native families. So many were treated so abysmally. I loved reading about Kate Barnard, who was instrumental in shining a light on their plight and will definitely be researching more about this amazing woman.
My favorite books are those that teach me more about history and those that make me feel a strong emotion. This read excelled with both. I felt so much anger for those that abandoned, neglected, and/or abused these young children.
Many many thanks to Lisa Wingate for bringing a sad part of our nation’s history forward, and Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for affording me the opportunity to read an arc of this just published engrossing read.

An incredible story told in two time lines. In 1909, Ollie and Nessie, a Choctaw orphan taken in by Ollie’s dad escape a life with her abusive stepfather. They run away to try and reach Ollie’s old home but along the way they encounter abandoned Choctaw children and struggle to survive in a world that does not care for them. With the help of a few adults that champion for them they are able to survive. In 1990, Valerie Boren-Odell has taken a new job as a forest ranger in Oklahoma after the death of her husband, She struggles to survive in her own right against the prejudices that come from working in a male dominant field. But when she discovers the bones of three girls in a cave she discovers that the world she lives in carries its own secrets. Another masterpiece by lisa Wingate it highlights the plight of many Choctaw children who were stripped of their lands and left to die.

2.75/5⭐️

OK, this was my first book from this author, was between a “pick” and a “so-so”, and will probably be an unpopular opinion.

A dual timeline (1909, 1990), this follows Ollie and Nessa, runaways from an abusive stepfather who are making their way to Ollie’s former home in the Winding Stair Mountains of Oklahoma. Along the way they befriend “Elf” children (orphaned Choctaw children who have been victimized for their land) and others struggling to survive any way they can.

Valerie Boren O’Dell, a newly widowed mother of a 7-year-old son, is a Law Enforcement Ranger beginning a new job near the aforementioned mountains. When human remains of 3 children are discovered in a mountain cave and a teenager goes missing, she wants to delve deeper even though she’s been warned not to. Who are the children? Why are they there and entombed as they are? Where is the teenager and why is he missing?

I wanted to like this more. And I did learn a lot about the topic of how indigenous children were exploited and treated abominably by money-hungry land-grabbers out for power and oil wealth. And I was interested to learn about the early women advocates (both political and otherwise) who championed and worked diligently to save and restore property to these impoverished children, especially little-remembered Kate Barnard, who was fascinating as a pioneer in women’s politics (or the lack thereof) at that time. Wingate is also very good with describing the despair as well as the resilience of these children and the surrounding wilderness that became their home.

But the book had a few issues for me. First, it felt too long and dragged for me, and it became more of an effort to engage with it between readings. The dual timeline chapters would abruptly leave a cliffhanger and begin at a new location next time they picked up. And there was not enough depth or background for me with some of the characters so I wasn’t as invested with them as I wanted to be. The final chapter of Ollie’s story stopped abruptly with no further first-person narrative of future events. This was summed up later in the story by another character and was “told” rather than “shown”. The tying up of loose ends at the end felt rushed up, and there was at least one implausible event…one brought about by the “villain” that felt extremely unlikely (no spoilers).

I’m sure that I’m probably being nit picky, and there are many, many others who will praise this book wholeheartedly. It was a good story, just with a few drawbacks for me.

And that cover is absolutely beautiful and fits the story so very well.

My sincere thanks to the author, NetGalley and Random House/Ballantine Books for providing the free early arc of Shelterwood for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

Shelterwood by Lisa Wingate is a dual timeline story set in Oklahoma. 1909, eleven-year-old Olive August Radley knows that her stepfather has ill intentions toward the two Choctaw girls who live with her family. When the older girl disappears, Ollie takes the younger girl and flees into the woods. Together they set out on a perilous journey to the rugged Winding Stair Mountains, trying to avoid the outlaws, treasure hunters and desperate men along the way. Eighty-one years later, Valerie Boren O’dell is a law enforcement ranger who arrives at the Horsethief Trail National Park, seeking a quiet place as she tries to balance her career and single parenthood. She quickly learns about a local controversy over the park’s opening, a teenage hiker goes missing and a long hidden burial site of three children was discovered deep in a cave. Val soon learns the tragic and deadly history of the area as she tries to uncover the truth.
Lisa Wingate has made a name for herself as a writer of emotional and often forgotten stories in history. Shelterwood traces the story of children abandoned by the law, the conflicts over the land and its riches and the long battle to see wrongs righted and justice done. I love Lisa Wingate books and Shelterwood sounded compelling and interesting; however, it was a chore to read. It wasn’t hard to read because of the subject matter which was indeed a heavy topic but important to discuss. There was a bit of confusion of who the characters were and their relationship to the two main characters: Ollie and Val. The back and forth between timelines, which usually doesn’t bother me, took me out of the story and it was hard to readjust for the new chapter. Overall, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I have other Lisa Wingate books. However, if the book interests you, I recommend giving it a try.

Shelterwood is available in hardcover, paperback, eBook and audiobook

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book.

I was born and grew up in north Texas, just south of the Oklahoma state line, but I have never studied Oklahoma history. Recently, I watched a movie "Killers of the Flower Moon" which depicted the men who would marry Indigenous Osage women, only to gain control of their valuable oil land. It was a terrible story and mostly based on truth. This is a related story, but is about orphaned children who are assigned to "guardians" who then run them off their land and take control, leaving the children to fare for themselves.

Told in two parts, one in 1909 featuring a group of these "elf children", as they were called because they lived in the woods and stories sprang up about them. A long-forgotten woman politician, Kate Barnard, who was elected to high office in the new state of Oklahoma in a time when women could not vote, found three of these children living in a hollow tree and prosecuted their "guardian", who was in possession of more than 51 such guardianships. Her attempts to end these practices were successfully foiled by the prominent men involved and her story has been mostly forgotten.

The group of children in 1909 is at one time as large as eleven children who live in the woods in an encampment they called Shelterwood. Shelterwood is "an obscure forestry term for older, larger trees that protect the smaller, younger growth beneath." And that is what the older children of the camp did for the younger ones.

In 1990, law enforcement ranger Valerie Boren-Odell is given a highly coveted job in a brand new Horseshoe Trail National Park in Oklahoma. It is Valerie's first assignment since her husband, also a park ranger, was killed while attempting to rescue some hikers at their last assignment. She soon learns that the only reason she got this job is that the "powers that be" think she is some kin to a powerful Oklahoma politician named Boren. No one seems to want her there, and she is given menial jobs, but still manages to get acquainted with several locals who fill her in on local politics.

Something is going on in this new park as they prepare to open. The locals are not happy about the park, a teenager goes missing, a mysterious rockfall closes one of the park roads, and an unidentifed drowning victim is found in a creek after a big rainfall. She soon finds an ally in the Choctaw Tribal Police and they are shocked to find these incidents lead back to the "elf children" of long ago!

A good read. Lisa Wingate has an eye for stories about children abused by the "system" that is supposed to protect them.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for an advance copy of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion.

Lisa Wingate is a master storyteller. She can weave a story to make you feel as if you are there in the moment. I knew nothing about this subject. She taught me so much in the 300+ pages. I am sad that I can’t “read it for the first time” again.

In dual time lines, 1909 and 1990 in Oklahoma, the author tells a story that has historical significance and tears at your heart. I had to stop quite a few times to google information.

If you loved Before We Were Yours , and historical fiction pick this one up and savor it. It is a slow burn and worth the wait.

I made it 50% and gave up. It was quite boring, and I was never motivated to pick it up. Felt like a chore to read, and the accents were annoying to read as well. I was really intrigued about the bones and whose they were and thats what kept me reading, and I did want to see how the past and present story lines tied together, but not enough to keep going unfortunately.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books for the ARC. I enjoy reading this author's books. You can tell that she does a lot of research on the subject she's writing about. Loved all the characters even Ollie who kept saying she didn't like liars and thieves even though she told some doozies herself. Great character development. Will recommend!

Shelterwood is a forestry term for older, larger trees that protect the smaller, younger growth beneath. Lisa Wingate’s Shelterwood slashes through that canopy shining a blinding light on the history of “rampant graft and mindboggling land grabs during the Oklahoma statehood era.”
Wingate artfully weaves this little-known history in alternating timelines as she illuminates a mystery uncovered by a female park ranger involving the bones of “elf children.” Readers are immersed in the 1909 world of starving, indigenous “elf children” through Ollie and Nessa’s harrowing escape from harmful, greedy guardians and the community they struggle to create in the southeastern portion of Oklahoma known as the Winding Stairs. In 1990 Park Ranger, Val attempts to sort out the story of skeletal bones in a cave and the disappearance of three members of the same family. Wingate’s narrative takes readers on trails though the woods of southeastern Oklahoma peppered with crisp descriptions as she lines steep grades through Horsethief Trail National Park with obstacles to the mystery by adding suspense step by step; an abandoned car, a missing teenager, a body found in the woods. Wingate’s orphans are wily, witty, and so loveable, readers will easily forgive their crimes and even cheer for their ingenious successes. Through experiences of the “elf children” readers will gain a new understanding of survival. Readers will also appreciate Officer Curtis’ relationship with Val and Charlie, a male character with high emotional intelligence.
This adventurous mystery through the woods of Oklahoma is really about the history of the tribal lands of the Cherokee, Creek, and Choctaw Nations, their legacy, and the oil found on the land allotments. Another historical thread is the untold impact of Kate Barnard’s fight for child labor laws and compulsory education. Shelterwood, Lisa Wingate’s soulful, heartfelt tale, ties the past to the present through the history of indigenous children and the horrendous lives of our nations’ youngest before child labor laws.
Eye-opening. Redemptive.

Shelterwood by Lisa Wingate is a wonderfully written historical novel based on true events. This is a well researched and thought out story. Told in dual timelines, Ms. Wingate brings two stories together in a beautiful way. A story of greed and corruption and the children who were the victims. A heartbreaking story sure to pull at your heartstrings.

Thank you NetGalley, Random House/Ballantine Books and Lisa Wingate for this wonderful story to read and review. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.
#netgalley #randomhouse #ballantinebooks. #lisawingate
#shelterwood #historicalnovel

Lisa Wingate is an excellent author and one I respect so it is unfortunate for me to write that this book was a miss for me.

Coming off of reading and watching Killers of the Flower Moon I was curious to read a fictional take on a similar story, yet one that focuses on the land rights of indigenous children. There is an important and compelling story in here that I think Wingate missed.

What worked for me was the dual timeline. I especially liked that the stories were quite different. What happens in history impacts the future in new and different ways and I thought her take on this is effective. The early 1900s timeline follows Ollie and a band of "elf children" who have been orphaned and are living in the woods. Ollie is quite adventurous but I found some of the adventures and characters to be a bit outrageous and sometimes random.

Valerie is a new to the area park ranger and her timeline is set in the 1990's. Her story was frustrating because while attempting to uncover a mystery she kept finding clues that either led nowhere, were false leads, or seemingly didn't connect. Again, the last chapter told from her timeline is highly interesting and highlights two characters that were missing for the entire book but had the arguably better story. I really do wish the focus of the 1990's story had been from their perspective.

Overall the hardest thing about the book was that everything in the middle was paced incredibly slow. I didn't find myself wanting to pick up the book for either of the timelines and when I did I would read a chapter and then put it back down. There is no question that a lot of research went into this book, I just found it slow up until the very end.

Set in Oklahoma in 1909 & 1990, this is the story of 3 girls and the life they led in 1909 and the Law enforcement ranger Valerie Boren-Odell who investigates their story nearly a century later. Valerie aligns with the local Choctaw tribe to try to solve the mystery that surrounds the 3 girls and their possible murders. Can she overcome the obstacles before her to solve the questions?

A very well written historical fiction story told in dual timelines, 1909 and 1990. It was a heartbreaking story about orphaned Native American children. I learned about a part of history that I was unaware of. The mysteries in both timelines kept me turning the pages.

A amazing story of bravery & history!!!!!!! These women are everything women everywhere aspire to be- strong, brave, adventurous heros.

I so wanted to love this book, as I read Before We Were Yours by Wingate and absolutely loved it. I was very excited to read this, so when I was approved and finally got around to reading it, I dove in, ready to get comfortable because I fully expected to devote the next several hours devouring it. Unfortunately, this did not live up to my expectations.

Lisa Wingate has given us another historical fiction story, this time focusing on the dark past of American history and its relationship with Native Americans; specifically, the Choctaw tribe of Oklahoma in the early 1900s. Shelterwood takes us back and forth in time, between 1990 and 1909, telling the story of single mom and forest ranger Valerie Boren-Odell as she begins her new job in a national park. She very quickly becomes caught up with a young orphan girl and a missing hiker, in addition to a long-abandoned burial site of three unidentified children. Valerie ignores her superiors' strong recommendations to leave these incidents alone, suggesting she is looking for something that isn't there, which they fear will negatively impact the opening of the national park. Meanwhile, the book also takes the reader back to 1909, when 11-year-old Ollie Radley has fled her unhappy home, taking Choctaw ward Nessie with her, believing that her stepfather is behind the disappearance of another Choctaw ward they had and means to harm Nessie as well. As Ollie and Nessie make their journey to Nessie's previous home, where her father was still alive and her parents were happy and comfortable, they meet other children they cannot abandon. But their journey is a dangerous one, and to make it safely to her early home will require more bravery, wit, and inner-strength than Ollie can imagine.

The book just dragged for me, and though the content itself was interesting, the plot of Ollie and Nessie a good one, I really could have done without the story of Valerie and the characters in her storyline. Though the two storylines do connect, I feel that the modern day story was completely unnecessary and too much of a distraction, as I did not feel it connected strongly enough to the 1909 story and the 1990 story was ultimately the chapters I really started losing interest with and struggling through. I feel I absolutely could have read just the 1909 chapters and still have read a full, satisfying book.

Lisa Wingate became an instant favorite author for me when I read Before We Were Yours. It’s one of the three books that started my love for historical fiction. She then blew me away again with The Book of Lost Friends. I knew when offered a copy to read of this, her latest, it was an instant yes without even reading the summary. Lisa has such a talent of putting so much thorough research into her work to give a very real story that could be so close to a true one. She puts you in the heartbreaking world where young ones are tragically impacted by others in our history. She brings stories to life to bring awareness to tragic parts of our history that last forever. In this one, she again created characters that completely touched my soul throughout. Wingate has scored again with another emotional novel that stayed with me long after the final page.

Thank you, Lisa Wingate, Random House, Vanessa of Ballantine & Netgalley for my copy! All opinions are my own!

Lisa Wingate's latest historical fiction novel is more personal than others she has produced, as she lived in Oklahoma and is more familiar with the setting. This presents yet another aspect of how indigenous populations were robbed of their rights, in this case, lands of the Chocktaw preserve that were legimately owned by children who, upon being orphaned,n had to take to the woods in order to survive. Based on actuality, Wingate's books, this one included, are well researched and immersive, and like the other of her books I've read, told in two time lines sharpening the crimes of the past and how they relate to the world today.

If books like this one were how we learned history I’m sure there would be a lot more students interested in history. I loved the way the two timelines were interwoven and that it stayed true to history. I learned so much about Oklahoma’s history and geography because I had no idea that Oklahoma had mountains. I thought it was all pretty flat. It really makes me want to go visit The Winding Stairs, particularly in the fall. The characters were great and I love how the book shined a light on a female politician from 1909 that very few people know about. I can’t imagine the amount of research that goes into a book like this, but thank you Lisa Wingate for doing the research and sharing it with us in such an enjoyable way.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the opportunity to read this book prior to publication.

Thank you to MetGalley, Random House Publishing, and Lisa Wingate for allowing me to read this ARC of Shelterwood, in exchange for an honest review.

In Oklahoma, 1909, eleven-year-old Olive, embarks on a trip to save two Choctaw girls from her evil father, but when the older girl disappears, Olive sets out with little Nessa to search for a safer life. They find other homeless children and form a pact to protect each other. What happens to these children? In 1990, Valerie, a law enforcement ranger, who has just moved to Horsethief Trail Park with her young son, goes in search of a missing teenage hiker and the secret of the missing three children. Despite an ongoing battle of who owns the land and what secrets should be told, Valerie researches with diligence. Will she be able to find out what happened to the children? This is a sometimes sad story, but heart-warming and worth your time to read. What a wonderful book.

Lisa Wingate has once again crafted a poignant tale about children in crisis with "Shelterwood," narrated through dual timelines set in 1909 and 1990. In 1909, Ollie must escape her mother and stepfather's home to protect her adopted Choctaw sister. During this era, many Native American children were exploited for their land, leading to a heartbreaking number of adoptions that left these children abandoned. Although this period of American history is distressing, the resilience of Ollie, Nessie, and their makeshift family of children forms a heartwarming narrative.

In the 1990 timeline, Valerie Boren-Odell, a newly hired park ranger in Talihinia, Oklahoma, faces discrimination while handling several challenging cases. Both Ollie and Valerie demonstrate remarkable resilience, making their stories compelling and inspiring.