Lisa Wingate has a special way of bringing life to characters, past and present, as well as teaching us along the way.

Shelterwood by Lisa Wingate is a heartbreaking and poignant story describing a point in Oklahoma's early statehood that was omitted from a schoolchildren's history books. It is a story of greed and corruption of men who took advantage of Native Americans and the poor robbing them of their land and even murdering to get what they want. Lisa's story takes place in two time periods--1909 (shortly after Oklahoma became a state) and 1990 in a National Park in southeastern Oklahoma. I wondered how the two stories were going to tie together as I read the book, but they tie together nicely and the ending is very satisfying.
I love reading historical fiction and learning something I never knew and I was not disappointed with Lisa's novel. I learned about Kate Barnard, a little known and forgotten pioneer for the rights of children and workers. She was elected as the state commissioner for charities and correction and the first woman to hold a statewide office even though women could not vote at the time she was elected.
Readers will not be disappointed when reading Shelterwood. The story is compelling, well-researched, and thought provoking.
Thank you NetGalley for an advance reader ebook of this novel.

Lisa Wingate tells the stories of Ollie and Valerie while also sharing a tragic part of American history. Yes the story is heavy but intricately told. The alternating timelines work and add to the reader’s experience.

I was pleasantly surprised at how much of a page-turner this was! The changing POVs did a little jumping that took a moment to adjust to at the beginning of each chapter, but once this story got moving, the end of each chapter felt like a cliff-hanger. The end tidied up a little easier and quicker than I tend to appreciate, but the journey to get there was exciting and tense and more thrilling than I anticipated. I definitely recommend this novel!

Sometimes, secrets don't want to be discovered. In 1909, in Oklahoma, Olive Augusta Radley could tell her stepfather looked at the young Choctaw girl differently than he looked at her. She didn't understand what he was going to do but she knew she couldn't talk to her opium-addicted mother about it. So Olive and the girl left and began a journey to Winding Stairs Mountains, the last place Olive had been happy. Two young girls in the wilderness could be dangerous. Could they be captured by outlaws? Will Olive's stepfather track them down? Is there anyone who would help two runaways?

Valerie Boren O'dell is the only female law enforcement ranger at Horsethief Trail National Park. It is 1990 and Val's boss is unhappy having a woman on his staff. As the park opens, a hiker goes missing. Can Val locate the missing person? While investigating, she learns that her boss has not informed her of the three skeletons found in a cave on the mountain. Why? Val wants to prove herself capable and settle into her new job. Will people begin to open up to her?

Whether 1909 or 1990, women have been underestimated. Lisa Wingate explores the resilience of women. Val and Olive rely upon themselves to navigate tricky circumstances while proving they have the inner fortitude to survive. This beautiful story will be enjoyed by historical fiction fans and those who enjoy strong women characters.

Shelterwood offers protection for a band of children, most of them orphans, in 1909 in Oklahoma, in Lisa Wingate’s latest novel Shelterwood, coming out June 4. Alongside the 1909 story is one told in 1990 about a female park ranger, Valerie Boren-Odell, a widow who is trying to start over with her young son in the Horsethief Trail National Park, which is about to open. The two timelines grow toward one another when three children’s bones are found in one of the caves within the park.

Eleven-year-old Ollie Radley leads the children toward Shelterwood in the Winding Stair Mountains after she and a six-year-old Choctaw girl escape Olive’s predator stepfather. Along the way, more Choctaw children, the “elves“ of Oklahoma, join the two girls on their way to the haven Olive once lived in with both her parents. The children were victims of guardians who only took them in for the oil rights granted to Choctaw children at that time.

Valerie has left Yellowstone Park where her ranger husband died while trying to retrieve the body of a hiker. Former military, she is well trained and experienced in ranger work, but she finds some of the men in the ranger office reluctant to accept her, quickly chasing her away from investigating the remains found in the cave. Instead, she finds a friend in a Choctaw Tribal policeman, one who has a wealth of knowledge about the area. They partner in their search for a missing teen, which leads them to a discovery that will reveal the outcome of Ollie and the other children.

Lisa Wingate is the author of Before We Were Yours, which remained on the bestseller list for more than two years. The book was based on one of America’s most notorious real-life scandals in which Georgia Tann, director of a Memphis-based adoption organization, kidnapped and sold poor children to wealthy families all over the country. Wingate lives in Texas and Colorado with her family.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting April 3, 2024.

I would like to thank Ballantine Books, an imprint of Random House Publishers, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.

This book did not grab me. I tried to get into it and I just couldn't. I don't like books about abused children and I didn't realize that was what this was about.

This is a very interesting story. I am not familiar with the Indian plight over the years, more of my knowledge was from earlier in their history. And interesting to note that my relatives came not far from that area in the early 1900's.

The strength of these children is astounding. I keep looking at myself and my children and realize how weak we are, how our strength is a different kind. Ollie is a tough cookie, one who wants to help those around her. The things she goes through, the grit she has, is just amazing. I really enjoyed the historic part of this book.

The modernish day storyline did not hold me as strongly. It was interesting, and the two did tie together, but it was Ollie that I enjoyed the most.

Shelterwood brings ilght to a time period in the US that I have not read really anything about and a topic I truly had no knowledge of. I think it was because of this that I felt a bit confused/lost for about 40% of the book. I couldn't really figure out where Wingate was going with this whole idea of "elves" and how the children's story was going to come together with the 1990 timeline. I found Valerie's chapters to be more compelling, as she was such a unique character (female park ranger), but the historical chapters did bring a lot of depth to the story.

Lisa Wingate has done it again, What a great book. The reader is introduced to two main characters in alternating timelines. In 1990, Valerie, a young single parent has taken a job as a Park Ranger in Oklahoma. She is having to deal with the typical old boys club and has to prove herself on the job. Inadvertently she finds out about a cave where three sets of children's bones have been discovered. Instantly she is drawn. Into the mystery. In 1909, Olive is a young girl living with an abusive stepfather and a drunken mother. She along with another little Choctaw girl know they have to escape before something bad happens to both of them. They run away and find adventure and other orphans join them. Throughout the years these two timelines converge in an unbelievable conclusion. The author brings to light how Orphan Indian children were swindled, even murdered and cheated out of there land by “guardians” that pretended to have their best interest at heart, This is a tale that tugs at your heartstrings and really makes you realize how the innocent were taken advantage of.

I've been a fan of Lisa Wingate since I stumbled across "Before We Were Yours." It was actually my top pick for 2017 and on my top 10 all time reads. Since then, I also loved "The Book of Lost Friends" so I knew I would have to read "Shelterwood" as soon as I saw it.

The dual timeline novel features 1909 Olive, a young girl abused by her stepfather and concerned for her Choctaw foster sisters, who takes the youngest and runs away into the Winding Stair Mountains to protect them. "Present" day is 1999, where widowed Park Ranger Valerie has moved to Oklahoma with her young son to take a position at Winding Stair. When the bodies of three young children are found in the mountains and a couple of local teens disappear, Valerie is transported into the middle of decades old dilemmas involving the Native American lands, the tribes who lived on them first, the natural resources at the park, and those hungry for more power and money.

This book was definitely another winner from Lisa Wingate! The story is compelling along with illuminating a period of history I didn't know much about at all. The 1909 years highlight the issues in Oklahoma for the Native Americans after the land seizures, along with the problems for orphans of all races. The contemporary years provide insight into the land problems still today, along with the potential environmental impacts. Both sides really focus on the human aspect for the people in these areas and the tragedies they went through in the past that still are not properly resolved.

Before We Were Yours is one of my all time favorite books, so I was thrilled to get this advance copy of Lisa Wingate's newest novel. I throughly enjoyed this one too! Wingate is a very gentle story teller while discussing some moving and upsetting storylines through history. I think she is a smart and respectful writer with respect to her content. I couldn't recommend this book enough. Thank you to NetGalley, Ballantine Books, and Random House Publishing for a copy of this book for an honest review.

If Lisa Wingate writes it, I am going to read it. I loved this booked - very similar candace to "Before we were yours".

The characters are well developed and there stories intertwined very artfully while also leaving some to the imagination in terms of the driving forces behind these characters. The dual timeline takes place in 1909 and 1990, following Ollie escaping from her home situation with a Choctaw girl Nessie and Valerie a park ranger trying to raise her son on the same land 80 years later.

I love that Lisa uses historical fact and interweaves them into fiction based on true events. She pulls a storylines that I would not have had knowledge of and paints it in such a colorful way. I love it

Thank you to Lisa Wingate, Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for this fantastic book.

The story is set in Oklahoma and switches between 1909 and 1999. The time periods overlap seamlessly.

The setting is perfect for the story and addresses the sensitive issue regarding the treatment of native American children in the 1900's.

The book was beautifully written and I learned so much.

I highly recommend.

Five stars .

This is a lovely book about resilience and doing what's right and especially caring for others. Part historical fiction, part gentle-ish thriller, the story spans a century with intertwined tales of the abuse of Indigenous people--especially children, and girl children at that--in Oklahoma by whites trying to steal their land for oil and other mineral riches and modern-day poachers on the same land. The protagonists are well-drawn and they develop and grow and learn from their mistakes and feel mostly real. Wingate is an artist when it comes to the setting, putting the reader right in the middle of the landscape and showing them why it's so important to the stories. I really enjoyed reading this and would recommend it to a large swath of genre readers, from folks reading books about nature and environmentalism to mystery lovers to historical fiction fans to readers who want stories about strong (sorry, I know it's cliche), competent women. And I'd love for this to become a series.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.
This book, set in Oklahoma, is about orphaned indigenous children and the people who stole their land. I like how the author switches from the past to the present as the story is told. We read a chapter from the POV of the children in the early 1900s and the next from a park ranger in 1990. We also learn about Kate Bernard who fought the protection of these children. This book is an important read because it is about a time we often don't think about. I definitely enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to anyone that enjoys historical fiction.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for the gifted copy in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed reading Lisa Wingate's latest novel, Shelterwood. Told in alternating timelines, the story follows wise beyond her 11 years Ollie and 6 year old Nessa on their journey to escape a no good stepfather in the 1909 timeline. The struggles of 1990's law enforcement ranger, Valerie, provide the modern day timeline. Lisa Wingate weaves together two fascinating stories that highlight the struggles of women, children, and the Choctaw people in both the early 1900's and in modern times. The characters are well-developed and the history well-researched. There are a lot of tough topics but Lisa Wingate handles them with sensitivity. This would make a great pick for a book club discussion.

I have read other books by Ms Wingate and really enjoyed them. I know this one will be well received by many. But this one was just to heavy of a subject for me. The two story lines worked well togehter but I found myself not wanting to read Ollie and Nessa.s story and wishing that Valerie’s story was a stand alone.

Lisa Wingate has scored another winning novel with her meticulously researched book titled Shelterwood. This captivating novel takes place at Winding Stair Mountain, Oklahoma, an area deep in the Choctaw Nation. Follow Valerie in 1990, a newly appointed park ranger, as she makes a startling discovery in the caves which lead her to uncover the secrets of this mountainous backcountry. Valerie's story also intertwines with Olive Peele from 1909 and her survival with a group of orphans who are trying to survive this wilderness area. Wingate is a master at character development and each person is introduced in vivid detail with the story alternating between Olive and Valerie. If you are a fan of Wingate's "The Book of Lost Friends", and "Before We Were Yours", this newest novel's story will find you searching for more of Lisa Wingate's writing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an advanced reading copy of this book.

Shelterwood is another gripping historical novel from the author Lisa Wingate. Set in chapters 81 years apart, both time frames feature little girls, frightened yet resilient, who fight their own way to survival.

Ollie is a pre-adolescent whose stepfather abuses her adopted sisters and attempts to do the same to her. Peele has caused Ollie's mother to become addicted to drugs and alcohol. and so unable to care for the children. Ollie takes Nessa, the five year old and runs away, much as the eldest, Hazel, did previously.

81 years later, in Oklahoma, a young widow comes to work as a park Ranger for the opening of a new National park. Valerie is the mother of a young son, making her life more difficult than it already is because she is a woman.

In this timeline, there is also a young girl, Sydnes, whose grandmother and brother have seemingly disappeared and who is being . taken advantage of by a foster mother and a rich and powerful businessman.

This novel is rich with the history of early Oklahoma statehood and the horrendous murder and displacement of Choctaw Indian children by people who rob them of their land and rights. Often these children survive by living wild in the forest. These scenes will haunt you as you see what these "elf Children" had to suffer in order to survive.

For me, this novel would have worked better if Wingate hadn't used the movie serial method of leaving each timeline in suspense before returning with the next one. The abrupt conclusion was also unsatisfying. Yet Lisa Wingate does have the gift of grabbing and holding the reader captive while opening eyes to a fascinating history of our past.

Thank you Ballantine for an ARC copy to read. And thanks to Net Galley as well.Shelterwood is another gripping historical novel from the author Lisa Wingate. Set in chapters 81 years apart, both time frames feature little girls, frightened yet resilient, who fight their own way to survival.

Ollie is a pre-adolescent whose stepfather abuses her adopted sisters and attempts to do the same to her. Peele has caused Ollie's mother to become addicted to drugs and alcohol. and so unable to care for the children. Ollie takes Nessa, the five year old and runs away, much as the eldest, Hazel, did previously.

81 years later, in Oklahoma, a young widow comes to work as a park Ranger for the opening of a new National park. Valerie is the mother of a young son, making her life more difficult than it already is because she is a woman.

In this timeline, there is also a young girl, Sydnes, whose grandmother and brother have seemingly disappeared and who is being . taken advantage of by a foster mother and a rich and powerful businessman.

This novel is rich with the history of early Oklahoma statehood and the horrendous murder and displacement of Choctaw Indian children by people who rob them of their land and rights. Often these children survive by living wild in the forest. These scenes will haunt you as you see what these "elf Children" had to suffer in order to survive.

For me, this novel would have worked better if Wingate hadn't used the movie serial method of leaving each timeline in suspense before returning with the next one. The abrupt conclusion was also unsatisfying. Yet Lisa Wingate does have the gift of grabbing and holding the reader captive while opening eyes to a fascinating history of our past.

Thank you Ballantine for an ARC copy to read. And thanks to Net Galley as well.