Shelterwood by Lisa Wingate tells the story of Olivia Augusta Radley growing up in the early 1900’s in the forests of Winding Hill Staircase along with other children that were cheated out of their land.

In the present time is Valerie a park ranger that recently accepted the job and begins investigating the bones discovered.

An exciting mystery but very sad that children had to grow up this way. It is good this story was told.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is my 2nd Lisa Wingate book and it absolutely did not disappoint. Lisa knows how to write about the hard ugly topics that occurred in history. Some that are hard to swallow and if you are like me, some of these "fictional stories"/real-life historical events may be new to you.

Right out the gate this book had me hooked. The dual time line had me invested in how Ollie Auggie of 1909 and Valerie Boren-Odell of 1990 were connected. Lisa does not shy away from detail that is needed for you to understand what the connection is. This is definitely a slow burn after the first few chapters, but after a bit you can't put it down.
Thank you Ballantine Books & NetGalley for my ebook of this amazing ARC.

The book alternates story lines in 1909 and 1990. In 1909, Ollie Augie Radley is a preteen girl living in rural Oklahoma with a lecherous stepfather, a mother who has become a victim of drugs and alcohol after pregnancy loss, and a 6 year old orphan Choctaw child, Nessa. In Oklahoma at that time, men would do almost anything for land, oil, mineral rights and money. The US government had taken land from American Indian tribes, put Indian children in schools to force them to leave behind their language and customs, and many iunscrupulous men blatantly stole children to gain their portion of land, and then abandoned them to die.
In 1990, Val Boren-O’dell, a National Park Ranger, and widowed single parent, and her young son Charlie, are assigned to the Winding Stair Mountain area of Oklahoma, where she is the only female employee. She arrives just as 3 long-dead skeletons are found in a cave nearby. She is determined to succeed as a professional, not the token female, despite the discrimination she experiences. She also plans to solve the mystery of who the skeletons were before the investigation is swept under the rug.
How the two stories 8 decades apart are woven together is the beauty of the novel. Lisa Wingate has always been a champion of children, those who are at risk due to status in life, or ethnicity, those who are trafficked for adoption, for work as servants or for sexual exploitation. It’s a shameful part of American history, and this book focuses on indigenous children who were robbed of their lifestyle and their monetary and cultural heritage.
The author is also a champion of equality of women, and this book also focuses on the knowledge, strength, persistence and fearlessness of both the female protagonists.
It was a time in American history I didn’t know a lot about, and I enjoyed reading about the customs and traditions of the Choctaw people. It was also interesting to read about the National Park Service.
The story line was fascinating, character development skillfully done. The transitions back and forth, and the way the two story lines blended was seamless and satisfying.
I loved everything about the book and I must say Lisa Wingate has authored another historical novel with great attention to detail and a sometimes sad, sometimes frightening, sometimes satisfying path to justice.
My review is entirely my own perspective and opinion after receiving an ARC of Shelterwood from NetGalley.

The story takes place in Oklahoma in two time frames 1909 and 1999. The earlier story tells of Olive Augusta Radley, an eleven year old, and her concern for two Choctaw children who are boarding in their home. Olive flees with the younger girl, Nessa, after the older girl disappears. They run to the outlaw ridden Winding Stair Mountains, and while along the way meet up with other exploited children and they form a band.

Lisa Wingate has been a favorite author of mine since “Before We Were Yours”, which lead me down a rabbit hole to check on the details of that story. I even read other books about the victims described in that book. This story was just the same. Wingate does detailed research on each subject she chooses to write about, and she always does these lost stories justice. In “Shelterwood”, she puts a spotlight on the corruption in Oklahoma regarding Native lands, Information that all Americans should read about. Native peoples and orphans at the turn of the 20th century. Ollie and Nessa are the main characters and their flight to escape a lecherous stepfather, but being on their own at 11 and 6 years old, respectively, puts them squarely in the path of other dangerous people. The timelines go back and forth between the girls in 1909 and a female park ranger’s investigation of three small sets of skeletons found recently in a cave in 1990. Who are the three children? And why are the higher-ups so against truly investigating what happened? This part of the story kept me reading until deep in the night one night because I just had to know.

These characters are undeniably deserving of compassion. Once again, Lisa Wingate brings buried history to life and ensures that these wrongdoings are never forgotten. Again a tale we all need to read. Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC.

Shelterwood is a heartbreaking yet hopeful novel ab0ut found family and the many ways you can find them.

If you like a story that happens in two timelines (1890 and 1990), has several plucky, determined children who are running from some really bad people set on doing them harm (both physically and financially), has some other determined people who are just as determined to help them and prevent further harm, all of which is told by a talented author who based her novel on some little known facts of Oklahoma history, this is the book for you.
The 1990 timeline has to do with a female park ranger and the connection she finds to the 1890
actions.
Lisa Wingate uses her plot to shine a light on the Oklahoma history that was never taught during her school years. It involves stolen Native American land and land rights, especially the effect on the minors and orphans. On this backdrop she showcases the determination and struggles of Kate Bernard, the commissioner of charities and corrections who was determined to put a stop to those practices.
I think Shelterwood is the quintessential definition of a good read: one that pulls you into the story, makes you care about the characters and highlights a part of history too.

Shelterwood was a wonderful delve into an aspect of history I didn't know a lot about. It is obvious that this book is well-researched and, as a historical fiction fan, that is always something I admire and appreciate. This story is told in dual timelines: 1909 (with Ollie, Nessie, and Hazel) and 1990 (with Val and Curtis). In 1909, we follow the story of orphan kids (including 11 year old Ollie and a Choctaw child named Nessie) who are trying to escape a dangerous man (Ollie's stepfather) that face many adversities in their journey. Wingate helps us not only see but feel their struggles, desperation, and resilience as they seek to find refuge and a better life. In the setting of early 1900s in Oklahoma, readers learn about the Choctaw Nation and the abuse of Native people from those who would steal their land and violate their people. In the other part of the story timeline, set in 1990, a park ranger in the Winding Stair Mountains (Valerie) is investigating some suspicious activity in Horsethief Trail National Park, including a missing teen, and has discovered some children's bones that were definitely not buried in the tradition of the Choctaw people. Wingate alternates between the gripping story of survival of the children and the investigation of the strange activities near Winding Stair Mountain.

As with many good historical fiction works, I am motivated to learn more about this aspect of history and to visit Oklahoma to see a state I hadn't previously thought much about. A book that moves you to feel anger and sadness and motivates you to want to take action is the sign of a great author. All Americans should read this to see more about those untold parts of our history that need to be brought to the light.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this amazing book!

Shelterwood is Lisa Wingate’s latest book, again about children in trouble. Told in dual timelines, both stories take place in eastern Oklahoma, in the Winding Stair Mountains.
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.
In 1990, a new female park ranger arrives looking to start her life over. Her husband is dead and she’s looking for somewhere quiet for her and her young son. But she’s immediately immersed in the search for a missing teenager and a coverup of the long hidden burial site of three children in a cave.
It took me a while to become invested in the book. The older story was initially more of a cliche and took awhile to get to the meat of the story, which was the stealing of land from Indian orphans. Part of the problem is that the story is told from the perspective of a young white girl so there’s no easy way to introduce the “issue”. The book is half over before Wingate uses a political rally to even begin to discuss the problem of the Indian children.
I always wonder when an historical fiction handles a political topic whether the author is also casting a light on the present day. “It is an abomination, Hazel, that our society can muster the wit and will to create such magnificence, yet not resolve to do right by a child, don’t you think?”
The more contemporary storyline is more of a standard “police procedural”, with a kind of Nevada Barr feel. This story moved at a faster pace. 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. That means I wanted more facts than this story provides, but Wingate does provide those details in her Author’s Note.
My thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for an advance copy of this book.

Shelterwood was another great, historically significant story that the author brought to life. It took me a bit longer to get into than I thought it would but once I got into it, I was hooked. These young kids, called elf children, that lived alone in the woods of Oklahoma broke my heart. They endured hardship beyond measure and became little families of their own. This book is told in two timelines which worked so well!
Another notch in Wingate's belt of excellent historical fiction!

Thank you NetGalley & Random House for early access to this book. It publishes on 6/4.

If you’ve read Wingate’s ‘Before We Were Yours,’ this book is setup in a very similar way: past/present POVs revolving around a glossed over part of history with an eventual tie-in. However, this book didn’t quite work for me the way BWWY did.
 
We have chapters in early 1900s Oklahoma, following children struggling to live off the land on their own to escape the ruthless adults taking advantage of them. Then, we have chapters in 1990 Oklahoma that follow a park ranger new to the area investigating a missing kid which turns out to be a much bigger scandal.
 
Although I believe that the historical aspects of this story were both enlightening and important, the execution fell flat for me. I don’t think there was enough plot to push the story forward, and so, it ended up being really slow-going.
 
My favorite part was probably the author’s note and learning how much of the story was true. Wingate is phenomenal at researching and shining a light on historical issues, but this one may have been better off as a non-fiction book. At times, it often felt like one.

In typical Lisa Wingate fashion, Shelterwood brings a light onto a lesser-known issue in the relatively recent history of the United States and the treatment of minority children in Oklahoma in the early 20th Century, under the guise of "protections" arranged by the government. The book focuses on two timelines in history. Olive Augusta Radley, aka Ollie, and her foster sister Nessa escape from her stepfather after Nessa's older sister Hazel disappears, in 1909 OK. The other timeline focuses on OK in 1990, as Valerie Boren-Odell joins the police service of the newly created Horsethief Trail National Park. She quickly finds herself in the thick of a mystery that exposes the potential corruption and mistreatment of the Native residents of the area by those in power.
For anyone familiar with Lisa's previous works, her topics are clearly well researched, and her writing style is flowing, while capturing the emotional and historical details of her chosen timeframe. Shelterwood is no different in that sense, and I always enjoy finding out about history that would be otherwise overlooked through reading novels. This book involves a bit of a mystery that is resolved by the end, with my only complaint about that being that some of the loose ends didn't feel completely resolved to my satisfaction. All in all, though, this is a worthy piece of historical fiction that I can see lovers of HF enjoying thoroughly.
Thank you to Random House Ballantine and NetGalley for the electronic ARC of this novel for review.

4 Another fabulous book! While I do not enjoy her christian fiction series, I loved Lisa Wingate's novels, "Before We Were Yours", and "The Book of Lost Friends," I could not wait to read her newest novel, "Shelterwood". As always, the author has thoroughly researched her topic and writes knowledgeably about the subject, as well as creates sympathetic and believable characters. This book is has two story lines- Native American children who were robbed of their ancestral homeland around the time that Oklahoma became a state, which never ended well for Native peoples. And 90 years later, a female park ranger who finds more than she expects while investigating a recent case. As with most "then and now" narratives, I find I am more interested in one story more than the other. In this case, it was the story line about the children that interested me the most. I enjoyed this book. There seems to be a spate of books exposing the wrongs done to Native Americans by our government lately. This is a subject as a nation we are just beginning to explore. Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC opportunity.

This book is inspired and thought provoking and it absolutely does not disappoint. I was extremely hesitant to read Shelterwood because I am sensitive to certain topics and the synopsis of this one seemed to be dancing all around my tender places- HOWEVER, I am so glad I read this book.

There are some tough themes this book explores, but Lisa Wingate navigates the terrain like an expert. I’m so grateful for how she treated the triggering content- she addressed it so that the reader has a general awareness, but she didn’t hang out there descriptively for any longer than was necessary - making this book a beautiful and poignant story that I don’t regret reading. Shelterwood tells the gripping account of two women set apart by almost a hundred years in the same little town in Oklahoma. Both stories are compelling and hard to put down and it had me guessing till the last. I don’t want to give anything away, but this is a worthy read and will absolutely be a best seller. I learned so much reading this book and it makes me want to go learn more about the history of Oklahoma.

Read with a friend as you will absolutely want to have someone to chat over it with.

I’d like to thank Random House Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book started out really interesting, but eventually took a turn that was "meh" for me. Even so, the history of Indian tribes and land in Oklahoma was fascinating to read about.

This is a terrific book! The terrible plight of the "orphans" mixes so well with the future young woman ranger and her child. It was hard to tear myself away from each chapter. And, then the surprise conclusion...

Thank you to @netgalley and @RandomHouseBallatine for this ARC. 1909 Oklahoma: Ollie is living in the attic with 2 wards with her step-dad and her drug addicted mother. Hazel disappears one night and the step-dad soon comes for Nessa. Olive "Ollie" knows they must leave. The two wards were Choctaw that her true father was trying to save before he, himself disappeared so Ollie knows if Nessa is to stay alive, they must run. One night they come across the "elf children". Native, orphaned children whose home and land were taken from them by rich landowners and oilmen. After the Dawes act in 1889 when some land was allocated to the Native Americans, the white man saw their opportunity. The parents started disappearing and the white men would become wards of these children often times making them disappeared or wed to a family member at very young ages. One oilman had 100 wards in his "care". 1990 Oklahoma: Ranger Valerie is hired to protect the natural forest around Talihina when three small bodies were found in a cave. This sends her down a rabbit hole of history. The Flowers of the Killer Moon opened my eyes to the violence of Native women but I had no idea about the orphaned children left behind. What a story. #Shelterwood #LisaWingate #RandomHouseBallatine #June2024

Due to health issues I skimmed through this book. What I read was intriguing. I love Lisa Wingate as a Author and was very disappointed I had to read it in this way. I plan to re read it when it comes out. For what I did read, I liked it alot. Looking forward to taking my time to enjoy it.

The writing and research for this book was very strong. I was fully engaged with the 1990 story and wanted to stick with that story but the dual POV didn’t quite work for me. The back and forth was a bit confusing to get back into each story. I really liked the mystery story and wanted to know what was happening and thought it was a great reveal in the end. Overall it was an interesting read and well written book.

I have read many of Lisa’s books and enjoyed every one, all of them were five stars, and was so excited to have the opportunity to read this ARC. This one a bit different. It has a dual timeline, 1909 and 1990. We travel with Olive aka Hazel in 1909 and Valerie in 1990. Was quite coincidental that I had just read another book on the Indian nations where the Guardians were the worst possible solution for overseeing the Indian land, resources, their money, health care decisions of their people, all was a bad decision and completely ignored nor supervised by reliable sources or laws to protect the innocent.

This did not feel like one of her books, it was way to wordy, hundreds of pages could have been cut from the story. I found Olive to be the hero, her situation was dire, and she did the best she could, with her daddy helping her with kind words along the way.

Valerie was also a good character, but she was stepping out of her duties as a Forest Ranger in an investigation she had no authorization to do.

Going to have to give four stars. The Guardian oversight of these people is a blemish on our country.

I thank Random House Publishing Group along with NetGalley for providing this Galley edition for no requirement other than my offer to provide an unbiased review. This one comes in with four stars.