4.5 ⭐️

This book had me hooked once I got into it. It did take awhile for me to get hooked into Valerie’s side of the story, but once I was, I could not stop.

I love a book that brings something new to my attention and gets me interested in the subject matter. I had no idea about native children being taken ownership of just to get to their land and then being either killed or running for their lives. I definitely want to look into this more now that I know about it.

I really loved the character Olive in the book. I feel like I really had the perspective of a child in the book. One who was intelligent, quick witted, and hopeful. I also enjoyed the perspective of Valerie as a mother and woman in the NPS and navigating her role in both.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Lisa Wingate captured me from the first chapter in this dual timeline story that takes place in Oklahoma. One storyline follows a widowed park ranger determined to start fresh and make a life for herself and her son. The other follows Ollie and Nessa, two young girls that have run away from home and the dark future that awaits if they stay.

The author focuses on children and child labor laws and rights in 1909. The book also talks a lot about the Choctaw people and their children and what was done to them in the 1900's. Stolen land, stolen children, and corruption in the local government.

In 1990, things seem to have changed on the outside, but are things really different? When three young bodies are found in a cave, our main character starts digging. Who are these children? Why were they there? What else can we find out about them? If she isn't careful, she might find herself in danger too.

I appreciated that while this story was sad, the author didn't dwell on graphic details as much as the lives of the children overall and the people that fought for children and their rights.

I really enjoyed learning about Kate Bernard, I had never heard anything about her before and appreciated the author note in the back as well.

It felt like there was a subtle romance vibe going on throughout the book and I could have done without that, but maybe I was reading more into it than was there? Either way, I definitely recommend this book from Lisa Wingate. The writing was compelling and easy to get swept up in.


Thank you to netgalley for an ARC to review.

I am so disappointed that i had to abandon this book after 25%. I had a difficult time following the storyline. Ghe chapter headings were confusing to me and really through me off. I really tried to connect to the story and the characters but I found myself putting it down, trying again and just couldn’t get to where I needed to be to get fully immersed. I love Lisa Wingate but for several reasons this story just wasn’t for me . I appreciate NetGalley and Random House Publishing for providing the opportunity to read an advanced copy

The characters in "Shelterwood" are beautifully drawn and deeply human, each with their own hopes, fears, and dreams. From Alice's fierce determination to provide for her family to Jessilyn's quest for truth and understanding, readers will find themselves drawn into their journeys and rooting for their success.

At its core, "Shelterwood" is a story about the enduring power of family and community to provide strength and support in times of need. It is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and a reminder that, even in the darkest of times, there is always hope.

In conclusion, "Shelterwood" is a masterfully crafted novel that will linger in the hearts and minds of readers long after they've turned the final page. With its compelling characters, richly drawn setting, and powerful themes, it is a must-read for fans of historical fiction and stories of triumph over adversity.

Shelterwood
by Lisa Wingate
Pub Date: June 4, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Before We Were Yours comes a sweeping novel inspired by the untold history of women pioneers who fought to protect children caught in the storm of land barons hungry for power and oil wealth. I have enjoyed many of Wingate's novels and this one was good but not my favorite of hers. I appreciate the research she puts in to make a quality read.
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.
In 1999, Ranger Valerie Boren O’dell, a new hire meets controversy when a teen goes missing on a hike The park opening is causing some worries and then a cave is discovered with the skeletons of three young girls.
Excellent book!
5 stars

Shelterwood by Lisa Wingate is a captivating novel that tells the story of two different characters in two different time periods. One storyline follows Olive, a young girl facing difficult circumstances in 1909. The other storyline focuses on Ranger Valerie in 1990, who works for the National Park Service and uncovers buried secrets from the past. Despite the time gap between them, Wingate skillfully merges these two narratives, showing how Olive and Valerie both navigate challenges and strive to bring about justice. Through their experiences, Wingate explores themes of resilience, courage, and the impact of the past on the present. As the story unfolds, readers are drawn into a compelling tale of intrigue, redemption, and the enduring human spirit.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read Shelterwood!

I am new to this author and am not familiar with her work. This book weaves modern day with a historic story line about the Choctaw people. While the two plot technique seems pretty common these days, this just didn’t work well for me. I was a lot more interested in the modern day story. Every time the book shifted to the other story line, sone of the momentum was lost. I’m also concerned about white authors culturally appropriating native stories. I didn’t dislike the book, more the structure.

In the early 1900's, guardianship of Native children was often given white settlers. There were supposed to be rules involved in this guardianship, but some crooked settlers took advantage of these situations and basically stole the land from the children at the same time they were being paid by the government to take care of the children. Some of these settlers were found to have 50 or more children they were supposed to be "guarding." Many of these children were abused, neglected, and even murdered. And many ran away and ended up on their own in groups in the woods of Oklahoma and other states. At the time, they were often referred to as "elf children."

"Shelterwood" is the story of Ollie, an 11 year old girl who realizes that her step-father has plans to harm the 2 Choctow girls who he has taken in. When the older of the two disappears, Ollie takes the younger and runs from a dangerous home situation into an even more dangerous situation in the woods of Oklahoma. Eventually, the girls and end up living with a group of other lost children in the forest. These "elf children" must learn how to survive on their own in a most difficult situation.

This is also the story of Val - a female park ranger in. a new job in an Oklahoma national park - at a time when female park rangers were almost nonexistent. During her first weeks on the job, the bones of 3 children are found nestled together in a cave, a teenage hiker goes missing, and Val wonders what is being hidden in the woods of Oklahoma.

The story goes back and fourth between 1909 and 1990 as we learn the two stories and wonder whether they will eventually come together. Who are these children who were discarded in a cave? What happened to the hiker? What other sinister things are going on in this forest region of Oklahoma?

I loved this book! I loved the character development of the main characters so much. Usually when I book goes between two timelines, I enjoy one more than the other and when I'm in the one I don't enjoy as much, I can't wait to get back to the other one. That was not the case with this book. I was connected to the characters in both stories and hoped they would come together in the end. Do they? Well - you will have to read this wonderful book to find out!

Lisa Wingate never disappoints. In this compelling story she brings history to life as she uncovers secrets from the past. I learned so much about life in Oklahoma in the early 1900s and my heart was definitely deeply touched. Outstanding book.

This is a well researched historical fiction book set in Oklahoma. Each chapter alternates between 1909 where we hear from 11 year old Ollie, a child that has run away from an abusive stepfather and a drug and alcohol dependent mother and 1990 told from the perspective of forest ranger Valerie Borden-Odel who, while searching for a missing person, begins investigating the discovery of the bones of three children found in a cave. Lisa Wingate weaves a heartbreaking story of the exploitation of orphan children, corruption, profiteering, Native American injustices and the parallels of past and present day greed. The story blends together in a satisfying conclusion that gives us hope for a better future. This is a part of our country’s history that I was not aware of until now. I will recommend reading this book to my friends and family that want to better understand its importance in America. This ARC was provided by Random House publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you @netgalley for the ARC of Shelterwood by Lisa Wingate. This book grips you from the beginning and doesn’t let go. Lisa Wingate has a way of tugging at your heart with emotional books and books that bring to light the inequities in history. The book takes place in dual timelines that intertwine. Olive and Nessa leave their home when they realize their step father has bad intentions with the Choctaw girls living with them. They find other children and form a band to protect each other. In 1999, Valerieis a park ranger who is investigating the disappearance of a teen as well as the bones of three children that are found in the park.

Lisa's books are seriously all so wonderfully written. Lisa Wingate weaves a chilling story of young, mostly native, children, known as “elf children,” who must fend for themselves while facing life and death dangers, starvation, abuse, exploitation and racism. The legacy of this graft and corruption resurfaces in a parallel story within the novel involving a young national park ranger’s commitment in 1990 to learning the truth about recent teen’s disappearance. Ultimately, the two timelines help weave the story together.

It’s 1909 in Oklahoma, and Ollie finds herself stuck with an abusive stepfather. Along with her adopted Choctaw sister, Nessa, Ollie sets off on a journey to return to her former cabin in the mountains, the last place she felt safe. But in a time when unscrupulous individuals are grabbing up abandoned children to take control of their assets, Ollie and Nessa will have to be very careful about who they can trust.

In 1990, Valerie Boren-Odell and her son have relocated to Oklahoma to start a new life. After the tragic loss of her husband, Valerie takes a job as a ranger at a national park in the Winding Stairs Mountains. When a local young man disappears and his sister is put in foster care, Valerie suspects something strange is afoot.

The dual timeline intertwines in unexpected ways, beautifully telling stories of women looking for family and acceptance after heartache and pain. This author has been a favorite of mine for a few years, and this book is an excellent example of why. The injustice in the way Choctaw children were treated is awful, but it’s even more awful that I didn’t find it surprising. The mistreatment of children by those with money and influence seems to be a story that repeats itself in various iterations throughout time. But where there is evil, love and justice can always overcome.

4.0. A very moving historical fiction novel on the plight of children in Oklahoma in the early 20th century, most of whom were Native American, and were targeted for and/or swindled out of their lands by by outlaws, squatters, timber and oil man and other opportunists because of the rich resources on them. This story is similar to the plot in Flowers of the Killer Moon that focused on swindlers who stripped tribal adults of their lands in Oklahoma around the same time for the oil. There are dual plots: one involving the young “orphan” children whose parents were either killed or were abandoned and were forced to fend for themselves in the wild; the other involving a National Park Service young woman ranger in the 1990s who was recently assigned to the newly commemorated Horsethief National Park and discovers the remains of three young girls embedded in a cave which then prompts her to investigate the deaths. The story generally focuses on the plight of these vulnerable young “orphans”, the hardships, starvation, and discrimination, among other things that they faced in the early years of Oklahoma statehood and it’s impact many years later. But also the two stories within the novel exemplify the strength, resilience and power of women: the young girls in the story from the early 1900s and the 1990s; Kate Bernard, the woman who advocated for these young, poor children and amassed quite a following in the early 20th century; the Oklahoma women’s clubs which many advocated for children’s and Native Americans welfare and education; the woman park ranger, and other strong women, notwithstanding all the abuse, harassment and/or discrimination they faced in their lives and work. A captivating novel with a bit of a thriller thrown in. A little too contrived in the end but overall a good read, with very good character development. Thank you to Netgalley for providing me an advance copy in exchange for a candid and unbiased review.

This book, like Lisa Wingate's previous novel, Before We Were Yours, is historical fiction about children mistreated by adults. The dual timelines are Oklahoma in 1909 and 1990. In 1909, orphaned Native American children are forced to fend for themselves after greedy land grabbers stole their oil-land inheritances. As I read, I was rooting for these plucky boys and girls. In 1990, a female National Park ranger tries to solve the mystery of a long-hidden burial site of three children discovered in a cave. She encounters resistance as she reveals long-held secrets. The stories are intertwined and come together nicely at the end. Be sure to read the authors note at the end of the book.

Thank you, Random House - Ballantine Books and Net Galley for the advanced copy of this eye-opening historical novel. I look forward to reading Lisa Wingate's next book.

I am an unabashed fan of Lisa Wingate. She won me over with her earlier book, "Before We Were Yours". This one like the previous best seller is about children. It is set in a fictious park in Oklahoma, but parts of the story is based on true events, the expoitation of Native American children who were due the inheritance of their parents thru the relocation of their tribes to Oklahoma. Greedy land grabbers attempted to adopt and even create orphan children to rob them of their land. The story is set in part in the 1990s when a female ranger is transferred to the newly created National park. It goes back and forth in time to the early 1900s and the exploitation of children as women are gaining their rights and advocating for children. There are several young children that have banned together for their own survival that tell their side of the story. Ms. Wingate weaves the reader well in and out of the time periods as she gradually unvels the tragedies faced by the explointed youngsters. It is a great book, one worthy of prize winning aclaim and a story worth telling. Thanks to #NetGalley#Shelterwood#LisaWingate for the opportunity to read and review this excellent book.

I love this author and after reading this book. She is an automatic read for me. Great character development. Great story line. Kept my attention.

Shelterwood is a beautiful story about the resilience of children abandoned by the law and their desire to find a life for themselves. It also details the many women who helped these children along the way and attempted to protect children from the rich who attempted to steal the land that was inherited by them, as well as the hardships of a female park ranger who faces backlash when she tries to uncover the truth behind a graveyard discovered in a newly minted park. Wingate is a true storyteller, weaving multiple genres into a multi-generational story that comes together beautifully.

Something I love about Lisa Wingate’s books is that the story is often half told by children. It’s an interesting change to see history through the eyes of the children that witnessed it and who were the key actors in the narrative. This book is a dual POV focusing on Olive Radley, a young girl surviving in the forests of Oklahoma during the early 1900s, and Valerie Boren-Odell, a park ranger in the 90s. Even the POV that takes place in the 90s has Sydney, a 12-year-old girl who helps push this narrative along as she recruits Boren-Odell to help her find her 17-year-old brother. It’s just an interesting and eye-opening change to see these stories unfold through the eyes of children & teenagers.

5⭐️ Big thanks to NetGalley, Random House Publishing, and Ballentine Books for the advanced e-copy! Lisa Wingate’s novels always impress me with her thorough historical research and captivating storytelling, making her an auto-buy author for me. Shelterwood did not disappoint! It comes out June 4 2024…read Before We Were Yours and/or The Book of Lost Friends to pass the time!

This is one of the best books I've read! Lisa Wingate introduced an issue from history that is not well known and spun it into a story that I couldn't put down. The story follows one from closer to present day and one from the past. In the past, we learn about orphans who are left to survive on their own with adults shunning them. The "guardians" of these orphans take control of their land and then throw the kids out on the street. In the present day story, we learn of a National Park ranger who is trying to be accepted as a woman at a new national park. She learns of bones being found in the woods, a missing man, and a suspicious rockslide. She tries to uncover what is happening, but it is clear that she is not welcome and things are being covered up. The two stories come together at the end for a satisfying ending.