Shelterwood is a historical fiction novel that focuses on the abuses of children by those who are supposed to protect them. Told in dual timelines, Shelterwood takes place in Oklahoma, in 1909 and 1990.

This book started a bit slow and I wasn’t sure how the two timelines tied in together, but having read a few other novels by Wingate, I knew they would in some way.

Ollie, 11, is the protagonist in 1909 and Valerie, a park ranger, is the protagonist in 1990. Both are relatively smart women who make good decisions and try to be proactive about their respective situations, which is always important because I really can’t stand dumb characters.

Again, the story started slow, but both timelines picked up and each one held enough intrigue and interest that I wasn’t disappointed when I had to switch from Ollie to Valerie. Both story lines were strong enough to hold their own in this novel and I love how they eventually tied in together and wrapped up.

Is this the best Lisa Wingate novel? No, I absolutely loved Before We Were Yours, it remains my favorite by her, but this one is fantastic and a solid four stars.

I have always enjoyed reading Lisa Wingate's books and this was did not disappoint. Weaving a story about true facts gets me every time. I loved the chapters of different years and how the story came together. . You were hoping that things turned out alright for Olive and Valerie.

This book was enjoyable to read and had a lot of depth to it. I have enjoyed other books by her more, but definitely worth my time.

Reviewed on goodreads. I did not enjoy this book nor want to finish it. I love this author but I found the bunch back and forth annoying since nothing happened in the chapters.

A well researched historical fiction set in SE Oklahoma. The timeline bounces between 1909 and 1990. The two storylines tied together in the end, but I felt more engaged by the mystery to be solved in 1990 than I did by the slower pace of the origin story. I think I would have enjoyed the perspective of Alva Grube or Kate Barnard more than I did the kids.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the opportunity to read and review this book prior to publication.

3.5 stars rounded up
Dual timeline narratives are highly appealing to me. This novel focuses on 1909 and 1990 in Oklahoma. Every chapter ends on a cliffhanger which normally I ours love. However, I frequently found that when I got back to the previous timeline, I had forgotten what was happening. Was it the length of the chapters? Was it my own tired brain? I felt engaged by the characters overall. I appreciated both timelines, but it wasn’t until I was about 70% in that I had a handle on all the characters and their stories. The subject matter is heartbreaking. Ms Wingate uncovers yet another horrid mistreatment of Native American children. I will remember this book for a long time. For those reasons I’m rounding 3.5 stares to four.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you @randomhouse for the ARC of Shelterwood by Lisa Wingate. I LOVED Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate, so I had high hopes for this one, but I found myself a little bored while reading this one. It was harder for me to stay focused. But the ending was exciting and thrilling. & I loved seeing the dual timelines come together. The history behind this book is so interesting, sad, and honestly shocking.

Some plot points will be disclosed….Shelterwood started off slow for me and gained momentum as I went. I was drawn in to the two storylines of the single mom and her child making a new life in Oklahoma and these poor orphan children at the turn of the century. Sadly, it seemed to come to a head rather quickly and then end. For all the lead up the. Everything was disclosed in a couple chapters, and the connections were not as clear as one would have imagined. I still have questions, where did Grandma Budgie go exactly? How was it possible for a person to commit massive logging in and around a national park with no knowledge? I realize that was partially the point but also, I just can’t imagine that the park rangers would be so fooled by this operation.
The author has said that she fell in to this story by an article she read on the politician Kate Barnard. And that she was inspired by her story of finding “Elf Children” living in a tree. I believe the elf children’s story was told but I’m not sure I’m all that wiser on Kate Barnard, who was the inspiration and the unknown Oaklahoma politician Wingate hoped to highlight.
All this to say Lisa Wingate is a marvellous author Before We were Yours, is incredible. This title didn’t quite capture that magic for me.
I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Shelterwood

According to this novel, in the Oklahoma of the early 1900s, the tale was told about elves that lived in trees in the woods. The true story was much more sinister than that. Native Americans were being cheated out of their land by unscrupulous people. Children were abandoned or driven off to starve or survive by foraging in the woods,

In more recent times, the bones of three young girls were found at a National Park in Oklahoma. Valarie, a new park ranger, must investigate. She unravels a fascinating story in this novel which consists of several tales braided together, with a carefully sketched setting, and believable characters.

This is one of the best novels I have read all year. It covers topics that are not usually touched upon with a ring of authenticity. I plan to read more by this author.

Lisa Wingate has an amazing ability to pull on your heartstrings as you read. I am always blown away at her ability to weave a tale (based on true events) into such a strong story.

Told in dual timelines, both stories take place in eastern Oklahoma. The stories gorgeously come together in the end. Beautiful book and eye-opening on events that took place.

This is a stunning story of mystery and more. The parallel stories from 1909 and 1999 flow smoothly, and engage the reader right away. What happened to those three girls whose graves are found in a cave? A young rookie park ranger, Valerie, is faced with that question, and more, when she comes to a new National Park in Oklahoma to begin her new job. She, as well as the other characters in the story, are presented with the many facets of personality that make them real people. I enjoyed meeting them in this engrossing tale.

Thank you NetGalley for this early copy of Shelterwood.
I am somewhere between 4 1/2 and 5 star rating and ultimately gave 5 for the sheer research into a topic i should have known about but didn't.
When watching this year the movie Killers of the Flower Moon the outrage and sadness I felt toward the treatment of the Osage people is mirrored in my feelings towards the treatment of the Choctaw and the land rights / land grab. The children who were under "guardianship" left to fend for themselves is heartbreaking.
Lisa Wingate's genius is in writing a story that illuminates but is not a history report. At times there is some information dumping, but that allows the reader to understand better the whys of how this could come to be.
I enjoyed the two narratives set in different time periods with equally strong storylines and main characters. I would become very involved in the one narrative to be then put into the 2nd. For the first line or two I would be mentally rebelling wanting more of the previous until I was caught up again into this second story.
I highly recommend reading this book and her previous titles.

I read Before We Were Yours and learned so much about the children who were taken. This is another story about children and it is heartbreaking but to me it is so important. I appreciate the research this author does into her stories and each one makes me want to do my own research. Can’t wait to read her next book.
Thanks for the advanced cold.

This story took me a little longer to get into than normal, but once I was able to, I didn't want to put it down.
I love books that make me want to look into that time in history, and this one definitely did that. It is a very thought provoking book.
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for a copy if this book in exchange for my honest review.

Wow. Wingate has a way of finding interesting bits of history and bringing it to life for readers who would not know about it otherwise. In Shelterwood she tells the story of children, primarily Choctaw, who were abused and exploited for their land. And a bit about the woman politician who helped save some of them.
I won't soon forget Ollie and Nessa and their "tribe" of other children living in the forest alone caring for one another as they tried to evade the people who would do them harm. Readers also meet a modern day park ranger trying to build a new life in this same forest, facing some pushback as the only "lady ranger" in the area. Valerie's story unwittingly becomes entangled with the story of the "elf children" as she works to find a missing teen.

Told in two intertwined timelines, this is the story of forgotten and mistreated children. Children who ended up having to fend for themselves and suffering at the hands of those who should have protected them. Enjoyable yet eye opening story.

A wonderful exploration into historians locale I was not at all familiar with prior to reading this book. I was eager to connect the past to the present in the two narratives, to find the connections and complete the circle. Wingate had a gift for telling stories and this book delivers on engaging the reader and inviting them to care about a topic they might not otherwise care about. The ending seemed rather abrupt... I would have liked two more chapters to wrap up the story but otherwise, well done.

I loved Before We Were Yours so I was so excited to pick up Shelterwood. This book was well researched and I really felt like I was there. It was a little slow but I ended up enjoying it. I love books that make me google for more information. Thanks for the chance to read early.

Intriguing story., rich descriptions, you can imagine yourself in the woods. Fiction with history mixed in.

The kids from Lisa Wingate’s upcoming novel Shelterwood could (probably should) break our hearts. Set in Oklahoma, Wingate maintains two timelines. In 1909 Olive and Nessa are on the run from the man who has drugged their mother and molested their sister. Olive will demand a different life moving forward - if she can just get back to her childhood home in the mountains. The struggle to stay ahead of the evil ones, to earn money, to eat - banding with other lost kids and trying to survive is suspensefully portrayed. In 1990, park ranger Valerie Borden-Odell is assigned to the same Oklahoma wilderness. She is contending with a devastating burial site with three sets of bones, a missing teenage boy and his missing grandmother, and a mystery in the woods that is endangering her officers. The presence of Kate Barnard, Oklahoma’s first elected female official - Oklahoma Commissioner of Charities and Corrections - looms large in life in 1909 and in spirit in 1990. She worked for the children - pushing for child labor laws and for the property rights of native children and more. I have been reading of the lives of historical women lately who have often been overlooked. This book fits right in.
Wingate expertly weaves these two stories together using alternating chapters throughout the novel. Each chapter leaves us with a question to take to the next - so well done. The whole time I read, I was trying to make the right connections. The parallel elements are simultaneously delightful and devastating. In each timeline older women are working against very difficult odds to protect younger kids. The title Shelterwood echoes this motif in such a lovely way as they are described as older, taller trees who protect younger ones. Again and again the idea of the older generations working to protect the younger ones - and most often women - surface. Valerie thanks her mother and grandmothers for their influence in one beautiful passage. One of the main characters from 1909 who is an elderly woman in 1990 speaks of the dreams of children and how those dreams thrived in the shadows of the trees and were fulfilled in spite of all of the opposition. The timelines are united, and the throughline here is just so beautiful.
As so often happens these days, I am left wondering if I am doing enough in the world - to leave it better than I found it. Wingate raises so many issues - the treatment of indigenous people in our country, the treatment of orphans in general, the treatment of women, the flaws in the foster system, the need to preserve nature, trees, our environment from greed without being didactic. While we see improvements from 1909 to 1990, we can also see how much work is left to be done. Most will agree that much work remains in 2024. I have more time than many to figure out how to contribute to that work. I also like the starting over motifs. Olive is starting over again - a child responsible for other children. Again and again she is betrayed by adults in her world, but she forges ahead because she must. Valerie is starting over - really for the second time in her new job and as a single parent - who wants her son to grow up with the freedom to be exactly who he is. Time and again she could make choices to make her life easier. She doesn’t do so. She chooses the freedom to be herself. These women are strong. I have worked to be one; as time marches forward, and I’m starting over a bit, may I continue to do so.