4 heart-breaking stars

Once again, Lisa Wingate has brought obscure history to light, and her child characters are major parts of the story. Just take a look at the endearing cover.

We start in Oklahoma in 1909, and Olive (Ollie) is plotting a getaway with her 6-year-old Choctaw “sister,” Nessa. They need to get away before Ollie’s stepfather can get his hands on Nessa like he did with her older sister. Ollie wants to escape to the mountains, the Winding Stair area, where she used to camp and live with her parents. The girls struggle with finding food, clothing, shelter, and other perils of the road. Other children in dire straits band together with them.

Ollie is working (to earn a few nickels) when there is a rally for Kate Barnard, a woman lost to history. Kate campaigned for an end to child labor, safer and shorter working conditions for men, corruption around stealing land through becoming guardians to children, and a host of other reforms.

The more modern-day story features a park ranger, Valerie, in 1990 in the same area of Oklahoma. The Horsethief Trail National Park has just been created, and she’s been assigned to the park. She brings along her adorable son, Charlie. The opening is marred by missing hikers, a rockslide, and bones discovered in a cave. Val finds an ally in Curtis, head of the Choctaw Tribal Police.

I loved how the two storylines intertwined, and the ending left me contented!

The author tackles several social issues, including mistreatment of Indians, child labor, corruption, and poverty. It took me a while to get into the story, but I applaud the author for the extensive research that went into this book. Don’t miss her author notes at the end.

I received an advance reading copy (arc) of this book from NetGalley.com in return for a fair review. Author Lisa Wingate did a fine job blending together two stories: one set in the early 1900s and the other set in the 1990s--both in the same area of Oklahoma. Young Olive Augusta Radley was running away from an abusive stepfather in 1909 Oklahoma. Her story was heartbreaking as she takes in other unfortunate children (some Choctaw) who are also on their own and running from abusive guardians. Wingate details how these children were abandoned, exploited, and left to their own devices to survive. The more modern story concerning Widow Valerie Boren-Odell who is an Oklahoma park ranger as well as a single mother. Val stumbles across some illegal activity going on in the park where she works while looking to start life over with her young son. Ollie's and Val's stories are told via alternating chapters and both characters are quite likeable. The historical aspect was well-researched and the two stories don't come together until the very end of the book for a satisfying conclusion. I think Lisa Wingate has another bestseller to look forward to!

This story was told with dual timelines. I thought the story set in the past was sad. I found the present day story more interesting. Maybe because it had a bit of a mystery to it. I can’t say it’s my favorite of this author’s

This book is great. Super well written and flows nicely. The dual timeline is particularly interesting and I struggled not to do some internet sleuthing about the Winding Stairs region and some of the names in the book because I was afraid I might ruin by digging too deep. I realize that the book is fiction, but there is enough of the history woven in that it’s difficult to separate the two. This book reminded me a bit of Dreamland Burning and The Orphan Train, based on time period and style. I always appreciate a book that teaches me something and leaves me eager to learn more about the history of a place.

Lisa Wingate has such an intense depth with her writing and her characters. I was uncertain what to expect with this book, but it did not disappoint. Sometimes back-and-forth books can be disjointed and hard to follow, but this was well written and the forward and backward of history to present day helped lend to the mood of the story.

We have come such a long way in the treatment of women, children - native peoples. Yet we still have a long way to go. This was not a comfortable read, but it was intriguing and interesting, and it made me think and consider the past and how we move forward. Truth and details as we know them become less clear as time goes by. Thought provoking and a truly interesting story.

Shelterwood by Lisa Wingate, author of the best-seller Before We Were Yours, once again mines little-known historical incidents to uncover theft, deception, child abuse, and corruption. In early 1900s Oklahoma, robber barons obtained custody of native children to steal their land. Wingate focuses on two parallel tales in 1909 and 1990, One is told by a child escaping into the southwest Oklahoma woods with her Choctaw stepsister and the other narrated by a National Park Ranger recently assigned to the new park there in 1990. The manipulation and maltreatment of children and the collaboration of government at many levels is compelling, but Wingate oversells and over tells the related stories. She fails to delineate the language and actions reflective of the two periods leaving the narratives somewhat flat. Her research is stellar and fans of historical fiction celebrating women in history will still enjoy reading it.

Lisa Wingate’s Shelterwood explores life for orphaned children in the early nineteen hundreds in Oklahoma. Many of these children were of Choctaw descent and were taken from their homes under false pretenses and lost all they had. Others were treated terribly by family or friends and left to fend for themselves. The story was wrenching and beautiful. Full of sadness but also hope. Definitely worth the read!

A dual timeline narrative takes us to Oklahoma in 1909 and 1990, where two seemingly distinct stories eventually intersect in surprising ways. The historical settings are interesting, although I wished for a bit more emotional impact.

Anything by this author is a must read for me and this was no exception. I love the multiple narrators and her character development is unmatched.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Before We Were Yours was one of my favorite books last year, so I was excited to get an ARC of Shelterwood to read. This story is set in the Winding Stair Mountains in Oklahoma and told through the eyes of Ollie, an 11 year old runaway girl in the early 1900s, and Ranger Valerie Boren-Odell, a new National Park Ranger to the area in 1990. Ollie's story immediately engrossed me. She's a bright girl for her age and realizes that her step-dad is a very bad man after Hazel disappears. Hazel is a Choctaw orphan who was taken in by Ollie's real father before he died. Ollie realizes she must flee with Hazel's young sister, Nessa, if either of them are to survive. Ollie decides to return to her former family home hidden up in the Winding Stair Mountains. Ollie and Nessa's adventures and the unlikely band of orphans they ally with to survive are the true stories behind local urban legends of the elf children.

Ranger Valerie's storyline was unfortunately not as cohesive for me. It really took until over halfway through the book for the storylines to come together for me, making it a bit slow going. I really did enjoy learning the history behind the story and about the women who led the charge in bringing the severe mishandling of so many Choctaw children to light.

Thank you to Netgalley, Random House Ballantine, and Lisa Wingate for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of Shelterwood, coming out 6/4/24.

I think the best part of Shelterwood was the author's note and background information about the Winding Stair Mountains in Oklahoma. I much preferred Ollie and Nessa's journey over Valerie's, however, as the book went on, I felt the girl's misadventures got a bit farfetched. My interest in picking up the book waned over time. The two storylines were just too distant throughout the book and only came together at the very last moment. This wasn't my favorite book from Lisa Wingate, but I think. many readers will find enjoyment from Shelterwood.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballentine for this eARC in exchange for my review. Shelterwood hits shelves on June 4, 2024.

I loved the mysterious atmosphere and the fact that most chapters ended on a cliffhanger, making me want to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next. There were a few side plots, though, that I wish had been fleshed out more, especially in the "past" chapters.

4 🌟

I love a unique historical fiction.

Lisa Wingate does such a great job writing historical fiction books about stories you have never heard before and Shelterwood is no different. I enjoyed the dual time-line of this story and the mystery in this story. Don't forget to read the author's note at the end for more details.

Thanks, Netgalley for the ARC of this book.

I have become a huge fan of Lisa Wingate's historical novels. Lisa extensively researches her subjects before crafting stories that bring her characters to life. Her latest historical novel, Shelterwood introduced me to a time in American history that I was totally unaware of. Taking place in both 1909 and 1990 in the Winding Staircase National Park area of Oklahoma, the story gives insight to the tumultuous beginnings of the new state when land hungry people were finding ways to gain ownership of oil and timber rich land. Eleven-year-old Olive Augusta Radley finds herself on the run with Nessa, a young Choctaw girl as they try to escape from Olive's tyrannical stepfather. Taking place in 1990, park ranger, Valerie Boren-Odell finds herself embroiled in a mystery surrounding three skeletal remains of children in a small rock enclosure.

How do these 2 disparate stories, 81 years apart come together? Lisa Wingate wove an engrossing tale that kept leaving me wanting more as she moved from one time period to the other.

I highly recommend this book.

I would like to thank Net Galley and Ballantine Books for allowing me to read this enthralling ARC.

Shelterwood by Lisa Wingate was an emotional, thought provoking read. Her stories and characters whether truly fiction or based on real people always leave you wanting more. It's nice to read a book and get lost in the story, yet learn while you are enjoying it. Lisa Wingate has become one of my favorite authors.
#netgalley #Shelterwood #LisaWingate

I truly believe that "Shelterwood" is Lisa Wingate's best book yet. Told through dual timelines, the reader follows the plight of young orphans in early 1900s Oklahoma as well as the story of modern day Law Enforcement Ranger Val, who seeks to uncover the truth of children's remains discovered in Horsethief Trail National Park. Both stories are rich with detail, with vivid characters who lead compelling lives. Ms. Wingate's skillful writing deftly weaves the two stories together until they both reach a satisfying conclusion. Like this author's other books about children, "Shelterwood" is both heartbreaking and hopeful. The reader is shown both the worst and the best sides of humanity. Readers who loved Ms. Wingate's previous works, especially "Before We Were Yours" will thoroughly enjoy this one too, and I believe this book will make a perfect book club pick as the plot gives many points to discuss.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the privilege of reading an advanced copy of this book.

Oklahoma 1909. Olive August Radley knows she needs to get 6-year-old Nessa, a Choctaw girl boarded with her family, away from her stepfather before something bad happens to her. The girls run away, and along the way, meet other children that need help, but also adults who don't always have their best intentions in mind. The band of children head to Olive's father's cabin, a dangerous journey to the Winding Stair Mountains. In the same area in 1990, Ranger Valerie Boren O'Dell arrives with her young son at the same time a long-hidden cave reveals the bones of 3 children. Val wants to solve the mystery of these children, along with the mystery of a missing local teenager, while facing pushback from local rangers and the town.

I've been a fan of Lisa Wingate for quite a while and find her books intriguing and enlightening. This one did not disappoint. The characters are well written and the children in the book actually seem like children. (Sometimes children in books are written just as small adults and it bugs me lol) I enjoyed everything about this.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for providing me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Available June 4, 2024.

Lisa Wingate brings a fictionalized story to some real events in American history. Using duel timelines she tells two stories that eventually merge.

In 1909, Olive Radley was eleven when she ran away with her six year old sister from an abusive father. They find shelter in the woods with the elves. The elves are actually forgotten Native American orphans. Their guardians have used them to get access to land and oil money while neglecting them. The system is corrupt and is the same type of happenings as depicted in Killers of the Flower Moon.

In 1990, Valerie Boren-Odell came to Oklahoma as a park ranger for the fictional Horsethief Trail National Park. It is in the Winding Star Mountains. She is a widowed, single mother, and isn’t overly welcomed in a job that is traditionally for men. She uncovers some buried secrets while in the National Park.

Wingate is a solid writer and the book seems well researched. Hardships involving children can be difficult to read and it is handled with sensitivity. The chapters alternate between timelines which can build suspense and also frustrating, as you want to continue forward in the section you’re reading. The book brings attention to wrongs in the not so distant past. I can easily see my book club reading this book as we have others from the author in the past.

Lisa Wingate's latest novel, Shelterwood, is a powerful story that intertwines the past and present. Set against the backdrop of Oklahoma's Winding Stair Mountains, the narrative unfolds through the eyes of two strong female characters.

In 1909, we meet eleven-year-old Ollie Radley, who witnesses a terrible injustice and is forced to flee into the wilderness with a young Choctaw girl under her care. Meanwhile, in 1990, park ranger Valerie Durant arrives at Shelterwood, a newly established park with a dark history. As Val investigates a missing teenager and the discovery of unidentified remains, she uncovers a truth long buried. Wingate weaves these narratives together, building suspense as both Ollie and Val fight for survival and justice. The novel sheds light on a critical chapter in American history, the forced assimilation of Native American tribes and the exploitation of their land.

I'd recommend it for readers who enjoy historical fiction with a touch of mystery and a focus on social justice. Fans of Wingate's previous work, like "Before We Were Yours," will likely find much to enjoy here. However, those who prefer fast-paced narratives might want to adjust their expectations.

Lisa Wingate knows how to pull all the emotions out of me. A well-researched novel based on the true happenings of the Oklahoma land grab and the Native Americans who suffered from innumerable injustices is exactly what is needed out in the world, in schools and book clubs.
In 1990, park law enforcement ranger Valerie Boren-Odell was appointed to the newly created Horsethief Trail National Park. She was met with a missing person, a mysterious death, an old burial site, and local resistance to the freshly minted park. Nearly a century earlier, in 1909, eleven-year-old Ollie Radley and two Choctaw girls, Hazel and Nessa are orphan wards left to the demise of their pedophile stepfather. What could this burial site and these two very different stories have in common? These two timelines bring together people who, maybe some would say, should never get along. This is definitely a book that I would read again.
Lisa Wingate has the ability to write about such sensitive topics with love and empathy. She beautifully weaves a historical fiction novel with just enough facts to keep the pages turning and wanting to know more. Be sure to read the author’s note at the end. Thank you so much to NetGalley, Ballentine Books and of course Lisa Wingate for giving me the opportunity to read this.