I wanted to enjoy this. I love reading about historical events in States that aren't well published. I just found it very slow going. I started skipping ahead to find the story as it wasn't moving fast enough for me.
I appreciated the research Wingate had put into this and enjoyed the authors note at the end. It is shocking what happened to the children during that time and the continued misogyny and negativity towards Native Americans that is still happening.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

This book like a lot of Lisa Wingate's is heartbreaking and yet hopeful. You follow a young girl as she tries to survive the wilderness and save as many other children in similar circumstances as herself, while also following along with a young staffer at a national park who happens to be a young mom. This book addresses sexism as well as the abuse of children while also not believing children have a voice in the world. If you enjoyed any other of Lisa's books you will love this one, and if you love children while it might be a hard read at times it is an important read. Above all though no the ending of this book will give hope!

I enjoyed the story as a whole, but it did drag at times. There was a lot of info dumping in the initial chapters about park service history that I felt was unnecessary. Some of the dialogue felt stunted. But overall it was a heartwarming story of resilience, and an important one in the USA history. I enjoyed the relationships between the characters and the switching of the story timelines.

Beware, Shelterwood starts out quite slowly, but Wingate is setting up the storyline. It unfolds In a a dual timeline through the eyes of Olive Augusta Peele (1909) and Valerie Boren-Odell (1990), both set in Oklahoma.

Olive Augusta Peele is a runaway. She seems to believe that the disappearance of her Choctaw acquired sister Hazel, , went missing because of her stepfather. For this reason she decides to get herself and Nessa as far away as possible. Her momma is no help. She is always passed out from the drink and her powders. Olive’s plan is to get them to the old homestead in the Winding Stair Mountains. Along the way they invite more hungry children to join who are living in the woods and alone. Together they will create a safe community, that is, if they can make it to Winding Stair, where her pa had a cabin. The problem is, they are being sought for capture.

Skip ahead and it is now 1990. Valerie Boren-Odell is starting a new life with her son as a Ranger at the newly opened Horse Thief Trail National Park. She is recently widowed and she and son are on their own. It’s a great job for her, yet was unlikely as she is female and it’s a male dominated profession. She is soon faced with local controversy over the opening of the park, involving a hidden burial site of three children from way long ago, as well as a missing teenage hiker. This is all compounded by the secrets to be uncovered about Grandma Budgie’s land.

The way the two stories connect is quite well thought and beautifully written.
Contains child abuse but never anything specific nor graphic. 

I’ll have to say this is my least favorite work of this talented author.

Historical fiction

Shelterwood is another exceptional novel by Lisa Wingate! I came to know of this author by reading “Before We Were Yours”, and was transfixed by the stories written about the devastating effects of injustices upon children. Wingate is an adept and meticulous researcher in her writings, drawing upon many resources of factual information for the subjects she writes on, and the amount of learning and education I receive while reading her stories is astounding! In her newest novel, Shelterwood, Wingate tells the story of the corruption of Native American lands in Oklahoma, and the injustices that occurred against children. The story is told from two time periods, 1909 and 1990, and takes place in southeastern Oklahoma, in the Winding Stair Mountains. We learn about the main characters of Ollie (age 11) and her friends, as well as a current widowed park ranger, Valerie who recently moves to Oklahoma for work, after the death of her husband. The story focuses on the orphaned Native American children, and the atrocities they endured, as well as current social injustices continuing to unfold in the Winding Stair Mountain region. Wingate does a wonderful job shedding light to social injustices, both past and present, and educates the reader on history that most likely was never known before reading this book. You will not want to put this book down! It will leave your heart broken, yearning for redemption for the children orphaned in Oklahoma back in 1909, and awaken you to the greed, dishonesty, and injustice of current day society. Wingate sheds light on history that was buried and gives hope to the future, making sure that injustices are never forgotten. Thank you for NetGalley and Ballantine books for this advanced review copy. All opinions are my own.

This book is amazing on so many levels. First, it sheds light on some history that I wasn't aware of. The author's note about this is not to be missed. Second, the story drew me in from the beginning, rooting for a child who fights to survive in creative and ingenious ways and for a woman who struggles with grief and wants to prove that she is capable of doing her job. Third, the dual time periods were equally engaging, which is not something that is often done successfully.

Read full review May 16 here: https://novelpastimes.com/2024/05/16/review-shelterwood-by-lisa-wingate/

I was really looking forward to this book because I loved Before We Were Yours.
Shelterwood was just okay. The writing was great, and the plot line was interesting, but the pacing was way too slow for me. And then it abruptly ended. I felt like I missed parts and had to go back to find information, but there were definite holes in the story. This was not a terrible story, but it certainly wasn’t great.

The background story is very powerful. It is criminal to see what our nation has done to our children and Native Americans. The characters are likable and the writing is very emotional provoking.

Lisa Wingate does it again! If you are a fan of her books, you will not be disappointed in this new one. The book sucks you in from the get-go and you will find yourself thinking about the characters long after you finish it. Do yourself a favor and get this book!!

A dual timeline novel based on historical fact, Shelterwood takes place in Oklahoma’s Native American land. Ollie, who lived in the early 20th century, is a precocious girl set on saving her “sisters” from their predatory stepfather. In today’s world Valerie is a forest ranger specializing in law enforcement, who not only has to see that the law is upheld but also has to fight the prejudice against females holding that position.

Lisa Wingate has been thorough in her research (note: be sure to read the Author’s Note and the Acknowledgments), and we are treated to the sights and sounds of both time periods. But I must say that reading about how young Native American children were preyed upon for the land they would inherit is truly chilling. Ollie and her crew try to save themselves from capture by learning to hunt and fish, while at the same time figuring out where to sleep. People in their area knew about them and called them “elves” because they were so skinny.

Valerie is new to her position, and being widowed, she must tread carefully since she is the sole support for her son Charlie. But she has a yen for the truth and feels she must follow all leads, even when discouraged by her superiors and colleagues. The result is a layered mystery in a fast-moving story that is quite exciting.

sigh...i should have read the description closer. This level of abuse and harm to kids is a hard no for me. I am too susceptible to bad dreams.

A big thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine, and Lisa Wingate for providing me with an advanced reader copy of Shelterwood!

This captivating book is set to release on June 4th, 2024, and I'm giving it a solid 4-star rating!

True to Lisa Wingate's style, Shelterwood begins slowly, allowing the intricacies of the storyline to unfold. It's narrated through the perspectives of two women: Olive Augusta Peele in 1909 and Valerie Boren-Odell in 1990, both situated in Oklahoma.

Olive, also known as Ollie Auggie or Hazel, is a runaway who understands the danger posed by her stepfather, particularly after the disappearance of her Choctaw "adopted sister," Hazel. Determined to escape with her companion Nessa, Olive embarks on a journey to the old homestead in the Winding Stair Mountains. Along the way, they gather other vulnerable children, forming a makeshift community in hopes of reaching safety, all while evading capture.

Meanwhile, Valerie Boren-Odell starts anew as a Ranger at Horsethief Trail National Park, facing local opposition to the park's opening, a mysterious burial site, a missing teenager, and family secrets tied to Grandma Budgie's land.

The connection between these two narratives is nothing short of fascinating, weaving a tale you never knew you needed.

One of the highlights of this historical fiction is the wealth of knowledge it imparts. Through Shelterwood, I discovered the remarkable story of Miss Kate Barnard, the first female politician who campaigned tirelessly for women and children's rights, particularly Native American children, and fought against unsafe labor conditions. Despite her groundbreaking achievements, she faced opposition and was eventually forced out of office, but her legacy endures.

The portrayal of female resilience and strength in this novel is truly commendable, making for a compelling and enlightening read!

Lisa Wingate has a way of touching our hearts. This dual timeline story of Olive (1909) and Val (1990) tell of the injustices done to children especially Native American children in Oklahoma over land rights. The story makes your heart break and at the same time so proud of these children who fought and struggled against the evil that men do. The 1909 story line follows Ollie and her plan to escape her evil stepdad along with Nessa. The 1990 storyline follows Val, a park ranger new to the Oklahoma mountain range investigating a missing teen and several mishaps in the park. Love when the storylines come together. Love that Lisa Wingate teaches us history while touching our hearts. Amazing! Thank you Netgalley and Ballantine Books.

The first thing you need to know is that I love this author. I've recommended her to *so* many readers. Every time I pick up one of her books I go into it knowing that by the time I put the book down, I will be newly aware of a shocking part of American history that I hadn't known previously. This book is no exception.

As author Lisa Wingate often does, she's created here a story in dual timelines. The 1990 story is about a female National Park Ranger freshly assigned to a new national park in southeast Oklahoma, where the bones of three young children have been found in a cave.

The 1909 story follows three children who are on the run from abusive guardians, part of a horrible practice where oil barons took guardianship of young native American children and their property, then discarded the children and snatched up their valuable assets. This portion of the book introduces the reader to real-life power-house Kate Barnard, elected to the Oklahoma statehouse before women even had the right to vote, fearlessly dedicated to protecting these children. In fact, this book is full of strong women, and there's nothing I love more.

That being said, I do have one small... complaint? That might be too strong of a word. Wingate is a beautifully non-offensive author. Characters develope feelings for each other, but these are only hinted at in the most vague way. Young girls are abused, but readers never know how. A chapter will end with a cliffhanger, but when the next chapter opens, that situation has inexplicably resolved. I'm not out for gory details, but this book is *so* clean that it almost felt like it lacked something. YMMV.

Shelterwood by Lisa Wingate was such an amazing story. I had forgotten how much i loved historical fiction in general and realized that I had not read much in this particular era. I really enjoyed the chapters that lived in the past as the story of these brave children really stood out. This book really puts things in perspective when you think about all that is going on the world right now and especially how it affects children.

Lisa Wingate is always worth the read, interspersing time periods and perspectives to shed light on lesser known issues in history and driving home the humanity to those who had atrocities committed against them.

Shelterwood focuses on a young girl surviving on her own in the early 1900s with her made family of Native American children and a park ranger confronting continued injustices in the 1990s.

I always appreciate Wingate’s research and passion in her projects. Shelterwood is another well written novel. I didn’t find myself as lost in the story as in her other writings but would still recommend it for her fans or any reader of historical fiction.

Dual time-line story about a female law enforcement ranger in the 1990s investigating the disappearance of a teen, and a young girl in the early 1900s a young girl fleeing with her adopted sister from her their abusive stepfather. The two stories carry the common theme of exploitation of Native Americans and their lands. The history behind the story was interesting, but the plots seemed to bog down for me in too much detail. Still a worthwhile read.

Slow and draggy for at least two thirds of the book, it became an effort to finish reading, which I would not have done had I not promised to write a review. I expected more from Lisa Wingate, an author whose previous books I’ve enjoyed and whose future books I will read.
Set in Oklahoma in two timelines, the very dawn of the 20th century and again in 1990, the two separate stories felt extremely disjointed and made for difficult reading. Eventually , far into the book, things came together but I had already tired of working so hard to finish and found myself merely speed reading until the end.
The topic is an important one, revealing the lives of Native American children, and the greedy land grabbers around them. When remains of three young children are unearthed in 1990, an investigation into the past uncovers a horrifying history. Sounds important. Sounds compelling. Yet it was a chore to read. . I so wanted to like this better but I promised an honest review. Two measly stars for a book I plodded through with no enthusiasm. My thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine books for gifting me an advance readers copy. Publication date is April 10, 2024.

I’ve enjoyed Lisa’s previous “Before We Were Yours”, but I just couldn’t get into this one. It was a bit slow and I found myself only wanting to read the present chapters and skim over the past ones. Definitely interesting subject, but unfortunately I couldn’t get into it enough to hold my attention.

So disappointed because I loved her last book, but this one never held my attention. It was very slow and the characters were one dimensional. The parts set in the present were a bit better than the historical flashbacks, but overall, a disappointing read.