The setting: a dual time line. Oklahoma 1909 and 1990.

1909: 11-year old Olive Augusta Radley, "Ollie" "...knows that her stepfather doesn’t have good intentions toward the two Choctaw girls [Hazel and Nessa] boarded in their home as wards." When Hazel disappears, Ollie takes Nessa and they flee into the woods in the Winding Stair Mountains where they "...form an unlikely band with others like themselves, struggling to stay one step ahead of those who seek to exploit them . . . or worse." Thus begins the older timeline. I found a striking resemblance to the corrupt men of Killers of the Flower Moon who took advantage of the Native American population by swindling them out of their land.

1990: NPS Ranger Valerie Boren O'dell, a single parent with a young son, still grieving the death of her husband, begins a new job at the Horsethief Trail National Park. No sooner than she starts, a teenage hiker has gone missing and a long-hidden burial site of three children deep in a cave is uncovered. The Choctaw tribal Police are cooperative, but no one else is and she faces an uphill battle in her new job and environs.

Enter in a cast of other characters in both timelines and you are reading a novel rich in historical fiction and a plot that kept drawing me back. I loved Ollie and her drive and determination. [In fact, I enjoyed the1909 timeline much more than the 1990 story].

1909: Kate Bernard, 1909, who took up the plight of the "orphans" and perservered in righting the wrongs. Mrs. Grube, Mr. Brotherton, a newspaperman. Some of the kindly people along the way [but MANY not so nice! and the bad were BAD!!].

Spoiler alert: I did not see the full circle coming [though others might] and the neat and tidy ending--only a slight derailment.

Be sure to read the author's note.

Solid 4,
Well-researched and very interesting/plot driven.

Lisa Wingate does it again!! I LOVED her novel Before We Were Yours so I just knew I had to check out Shelterwood.

I absolutely love the dual timeline of 1909 and 1990. This historical fiction was based on true historical events as well and you can really tell Lisa took the time to really research these events.

I absolutely adored the air of mystery as well. Lisa Wingate will be an autobuy/autoread author for me always.


Thanks to NetGalley, Lisa Wingate, and Ballantine Books for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is an unusual book with dual timelines and points of view., take place in eastern Oklahoma, in the Winding Stair Mountains. This historical fiction story is told from two timelines, 1909 and 1990, based on true historical events. 1990 Valerie is beginning her job as a Park Law Enforcement Ranger in Oklahoma. Valerie working alongside Curtis, head of the Chocktaw Tribal Police, also have a job to protect and bring justice to the land from those who would want to take from it. In 1909, an eleven year old girl and her family’s six year old Choctaw ward run away from her stepfather, a man who had evil intentions. Trying to get to her parents' old cabin, they encounter other children living wild and form a community. It was a bit difficult to get involved in but once I was invested it was definitely worth the read. I did become more invested in both stories for the second half. And Wingate does a good job of bringing the stories together. My personal preference is to have historical fiction that teaches me something and Wingate does deliver. This is a complex story. Painful at times because it involved the rights and lives of children. And the corruption. Especially to the Natives, their land and their children. When reading a heart-wrenching story of this nature, readers are reminded of a time not learned in our history books, one that must now, not be forgotten.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher

I was attracted to this book because the author, Lisa Wingate is the author of "When We Were Yours", which I enjoyed. This is a well researched story of a period of Oklahoma history which I was quite unaware of. It toggles back and forth between 2 timelines ( Oklahome
1909 and Oklahoma 1990). 1909 tells the story of Ollie & Nessa who leave an abusive home life to find their way back to their original home in the Winding Stair Mountains. The struggles of many, many children who were taken advantage of by 'conservators' or legal guardians at this time in history was something I had never considered or read about ...although the inclusion of Native American land swindles is reminiscent of what happened to the Osage tribe (see: Killers of the Flower Moon). Bringing us forward into 1990 is Val and her son Charlie. Val is struggling with the recent loss of her husband and the fact that she is one of very few women who is a Ranger/Officer with the National Parks Administration. She has moved from Virginia to Oklahoma to work at Horsethief Trail National Park in the hopes of giving herself and Charlie a new start. She becomes embroiled in a missing persons case that ultimately leads back to Ollie & Nessa's story.
This book carried me along and the details of the early days of Oklahoma statehood were very interesting. Also the info provided regarding the National Parks and land grabs strongly held my interest. The end was perhaps a bit too"pat" but I am willing to forgive that since the storyline was a good one and the varying timelines were handled in a deft manner.
Recommended for those who enjoy American History, Native American history and women's history

It is 1909, and Ollie is only eleven years old. Her beloved father is dead, and her mother has married an evil man. He lives with Ollie, her mother, and two Choctaw girls who were taken in. When the older of the Choctaw sisters disappears and Ollie finds that her new step-father wants to do inappropriate things to Ollie’s six-year-old Choctaw “sister”, she decides she must take the little girl and run away.

Meanwhile in 1990, Valerie, a park ranger, has moved to Horsethief Trail Park in Oklahoma. As soon as she begins her new job, she is forced to confront many problems. After investigating the problems, Valerie uncovers some dreadful secrets from the past.

This is a well-written story that parallels two separate plots: one that occurs in 1990 and one that takes place in 1909. Eventually the two story lines merge, revealing a bitterly sad time in Oklahoma’s history.

This well-written tale is populated with realistic characters who take the reader on an unforgettable journey.

This was outstanding historical fiction. There are two timelines here, 1909 and 1990. The story is based on true historical facts of Oklahoma. I noticed that it seemed like the two timelines were coming together. Names from the first part were appearing in the second. It was beautifully done. I found I was reading rather slowly to take in everything. It broke my heart that there were so many abandoned and abused children.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Lisa Wingate’s Shelterwood is set in Oklahoma in the early 20th century as well as 1990, and is the tale of several “lost” children: orphans in 1909 who must fend for themselves while trying to stay safe from adults who neglect them at best and abuse them in terrible ways, and a modern-day discovery of three sets of juvenile human bones in a national park—along with some teenagers who don’t have it much better than their 1909 counterparts did. In both time periods, compassionate women find themselves getting too involved in the situation. A story of resilience and a reminder that, sadly, some things never change. (Netgalley review; available June 4)

I absolutely loved Lisa Wingate’s last novel, Before We Were Yours, so I was very excited to get my hands on an early copy of her latest, Shelterwood. It did not disappoint. I actually think it is even better. The author does meticulous research into her subject so I knew this story of children in early 1900s Oklahoma would be well done. The novel tells the story of Ollie, a child in 1909 and Valerie’s ranger in 1990. It all comes together very nicely at the end. Outstanding read!

I've read all of Lisa Wingate's books, so requesting Shelterwood for review was a no brainer for me. This book is beautifully written and tackles hard subjects with grace so I would definitely recommend this book to others who have enjoyed her books before. This book shared the stories of Ollie (a young girl in the early 1900s) and Valerie (a National Park Service ranger in the 1990s) who are united by place - a special forest in Oklahoma. Both females deal with sexism, grief, and difficult families... and both build lovely communities despite their circumstances. I really connected with Ollie, and would have appreciated more background about Valerie though I did like her motherhood experience being shared in such detail.

That being said, I found this book hard to read, not just because of the tough subject matter but also the style of the book. I am a fan of dual timeline novels but that structure in this book did not work so well for me. I felt that both stories, though well integrated in the end, would have benefited from being separate books. It seemed like the bulk of the story was lost by trying to tell two stories in one book. The experiences of were very different yet also powerful. I would have appreciated additional depth in both stories. I'm looking forward to the book's release and being able to talk about it with a friend!

By the way, if reading about poor treatment of children is triggering to you, I'd recommend skipping this book. Parts were tough to read for that reason. Consider trigger warnings on this book for sure!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you Lisa Wingate and NetGalley for providing me with the ARC of Shelterwood. I loved this book! It was a great read and I enjoyed how the story progressed. I did feel the ending was slightly rushed, but overall, I really enjoyed the plot and how the story went back and forth.

I don’t claim to have a great memory when it comes to U.S. history, but reading about how orphans, especially indigenous orphans, were treated in the early 1900’s is shocking to me. It saddens me that some people take advantage of helpless children all for the sake of money and greed. While this book didn’t initially draw me in I’m glad I stuck with it and finished it. Thank you, Ms. Wingate, for shedding light on another important topic in our nation’s history.

I received an advanced readers copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Shelterwood is an interwoven story straddling early years in a special forest and current years there too. There is a strong theme about children and their tormentors as well as their protectors in the tale and the drama swirls around that theme in both segments.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballentine for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Historical fiction is my favorite genre and Lisa Wingate never disappoints! I always learn so much from her books and Shelterwood is no exception.

Lisa Wingate has once again produced a novel that was hard to put down. As with her blockbuster book, When We Were Yours, this story involves wrongs that need to be righted for a segment of society that has no voice.

The novel is told from two perspectives, one in the present and one from the past. This makes the story engrossing as the plots from both timelines weave around each other and come to a surprise conclusion.

I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. It brings to light a little-known part of our history and shares the people who made it. Lisa Wingate did not disappoint!

Loved the interweaving of two timelines ending with a melding of the two. This historical fiction brings to light the some of the greivous wrongs that happened during the new statehood of Oklahoma. Two children, one of whom is Choctaw, flee an evil step-father/guardian in 1909. In 1990 Parks police office Valerie Boern-O'Dell has just arrived in a new position at the fictitious Horseheads Trails National Park where the bones of three children have been found in a remote cave. Theses two stories progress side by side until their resolution melds the two. Anyone who read or watched Killers of the Flower moon would enjoy this well-researched read.

“But one must never believe what can be read in the history books about powerful men. The wealthy have the privilege of writing their own stories as they like”

SHELTERWOOD by Lisa Wingate is a captivating story with dual timelines and narrators.

1909- The reader follows Ollie Auggie’s coming of age journey alongside a gang of orphaned Choctaw children. Her story is perilous and gut-wrenching at times. Ollie and her sister, Nessa, are escaping their wicked stepfather while the Choctaw children have been left orphaned by land hungry men. They create a community and a home in the forest of Oklahoma and name it Shelterwood.

1990 - Valerie is a recently widowed mom and park ranger. She has just taken a chance for a fresh start by moving to Oklahoma for a new job opportunity. Her first case involves bones discovered in a cave nearby. One of the first people she meets is spunky and spirited Sydney who is staying at a foster home because her mother, grandmother, and brother are all missing. Sydney is known to tell tales. Could there be any truth to her stories? There is also the recent discovery of a gravesite of 3 children in a cave nearby as well as an unidentified body found in Val’s jurisdiction.

Wingate does a great job weaving the timelines and characters together to craft a beautiful story based on true events from history.

Shelterwood is a beautifully written novel that takes place in Oklahoma 1909. This is a time period that I have not read about so this era is new to me. The historical fiction is told with a dual time line. That is my favorite genre as you are directly feeling the effects of uses of the “current” or “newer” storyline. Both stories were griping and I couldn’t wait to see how they tied together. I highly recommended this novel.

This book skips from 1909 to 1990 between Ollie, a young girl escaping a harsh stepfather, and Valerie, a National Park Service ranger trying to start life anew. There stories collide with mystery, history, and family.

When it comes to Lisa Wingate books you know you are going to have a heart wrenching story thrown your way. This one was no different.

This story is a dual timeline narrative. One is a story tells the story of native children left to fend for themselves in the early 1900's. The other story is of a National Park Service ranger in the 90's that finds a cave with bones in it, and searches to find answers to whom they belong.

I found the book to be intriguing, but hard to read. Each facet of the story had things that were difficult for me to read about. I also felt the pacing was a bit off, so that made it harder to read.

This is a book that I would definitely recommend looking up that trigger warnings.

Wonderful historical fiction novel. I love fiction novels that go into detail about little known parts of history and this one alternated between that and a modern day story also. Excellent read. Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy