Dual-timeline historical fiction, both timelines compelling, combined with American history I never learned made for an absorbing read (or listen, in this case.) The two narrators were very talented and this audiobook made my commute much more pleasant for a few weeks.

*Thanks to Netgalley and Libro for providing advanced copies in exchange for an honest review.

This novel is told in two timelines. The first timeline is Oklahoma, 1909. Eleven-year-old Olive Augusta Radley rescues herself and six-year-old Nessa, a Choctaw orphan, from her abusive stepfather. The girls find support from several adults, add several similar children to their tribe, and face danger as they travel to safety in Shelterwood. The second timeline is Oklahoma, 1990. Law Enforcement Ranger Valerie Boren O’dell finds a hidden burial sight with three young girls, and she searches for a missing teen who's hiding a secret. She's not sure who to trust as she searches for the truth.
I like the dual timeline because the author clarifies who's speaking at the beginning of each chapter. And the cliffhangers at the end of each chapter prompt me to keep reading. But these strategies also disrupt the story's continuity. Several times, I would start reading a chapter and need a page or two to remember the storyline.
The book's premise is heartbreaking. Children were abandoned by parents, society and the law. And white men were generally the culprits. Not much has changed today.
I like the theme of strong women. They speak up and disrupt the norm, often at great personal expense. As the author notes, this book is "For Kate Barnard and Gertrude Bonnin. For all the women who came early to the battle. And (for) the “little ones” they fought to save. For Angie Debo, who told the story Before it could fade from history. For all the scandalous women who blazed the trails before us and refused to take no for an answer." I want to be one of those women in my generation!
I debated between three and four stars. I like the story premise and the execution is okay. But I didn't find myself eager to keep reading. The book was just okay. However, I'm giving four stars because the author tells an important story.

Tragic - so sad - Native American children in Oklahoma, mistreated by men seeking to get rich off their small backs. It is a riveting story - two timelines that verge across the years. It’s thoughtful and informative. I’m so grateful for find historical fiction that brings knowledge alive to me.

Riveting story by a gifted storyteller!! I had no idea about this time in our history and author Lisa Wingate opened my eyes to the time when pioneer women fought to protect children from the dishonest people trying to grab their lands, and before there were any child labor laws. Set in Oklahoma in 1909 and 1990 and based on real people and situations, Author Lisa Wingate describes the hard life of orphans living on their own, the people who took advantage of them, hurt them, and the people who tried to help them. It's a sad time in history, yet this story is beautifully woven between past and present, bleakness, and hope, relying on yourself, and having the support of family, and friends. I couldn't put it down!

I highly recommend Shelterwood for lovers of historical fiction.

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for allowing me to read a digital copy. All opinions are my own.



The author has shared a Book Club Kit link listed on Goodreads for anyone interested!

I really enjoyed this book. I can’t wait to read what’s next by this author. Thank you to the publisher for allowing me the chance to read.

I loved the dual timelines and the abundance of strong female characters in this book. I wasn’t quite sure how the 2 stories would intersect and my initial guess was wrong. I will say each story was at times both very engrossing and slightly boring (due to not as much action happening). But overall it was a great story that pulled 2 past time periods together and taught me a little more about early 1900s Oklahoma as well as Kate Barnard.

This book, Shelterwood was a great historical fiction read. I enjoyed the connection between what was happening in the present day and what had happened in the past. I love how they were connected at the end. This book had a lot of twists and turns and kept me on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen next.

While the story was very interesting I had to force myself to finish. It just wasn’t the book for me.

3.75/5
Alternating timelines both set in Oklahoma, 1909 follows Ollie and her “adopted” Choctaw sister Nessa who flee from their abusive stepfather and journey in the woods towards their prior home of Winding Stair Mountains, crossing barren terrain with their packhorse and some meager supplies. Along the way, they meet orphaned indigenous children and band together to survive, creating their own safe haven “Shelterwood.” 1990 follows widowed Law Enforcement Ranger Valerie Boren O’Dell and her young son in her new assignment at Horsethief Trail National Park. On her first day, she discovers old remains of 3 young girls thought to be descendants from the nearby Choctaw tribe. While she is interested in learning their origin story, her superiors remove the bones and close the case. She is approached by spunky Choctaw girl Sydney about locating her missing brother Braden and sick grandmother Budgie Blackwell, who is a former State Representative. She finds an unlikely alliance with a tribal police officer in her quest to uncover the truth.

I absolutely loved Wingate’s book Before We Were Yours—which intertwined phenomenal storytelling with well researched historical fiction. While I really enjoyed this book, and was invested in the story to learn the connection between the two timelines, it didn’t grab me the same way her prior book did. I thought the alternating timelines was well executed but feel it could have been somewhat challenging if read as an audiobook and not in print. I learned a lot about the exploitation of land from indigenous Choctaw tribal people, with the creation of “guardianship” for those underage with tribal land allotments

Thank you NetGalley, author Lisa Wingate, and publisher Ballantine Books for this ARC.
Pub Date: June 4, 2024

Lisa Wingate has become a favorite author of mine over the years. I always get excited when I find out that she has written a new book. That was how I felt when I saw that she had written Shelterwood. I always enjoy that she depicts strong and resilient women in her books. Shelterwood was no exception. It portrayed two very strong and determined female protagonists, one that grew up in Oklahoma in the early 1900’s and one who recently moved to Oklahoma for a new job in the 1990’s. Neither of these protagonists could be easily dissuaded from doing what they believed was necessary and right. Lisa Wingate delved into what was known as The Guardian System in her book, Shelterwood. She allowed her readers to learn about those who took advantage of orphaned Indigenous children for the sole purpose of profiting off of their ignorance and innocence. I had little to no knowledge of Oklahoma’s turbulent history of wealthy white men who preyed on these trusting and vulnerable children. I switched between reading Shelterwood on my kindle and listening to the audiobook. The cast of narrators for the audiobook did an excellent job portraying the many characters. Shelterwood was written in a dual timeline and told from the perspective of the two protagonists.

In 1909, eleven year old Olive (Ollie) Augusta Radley Peele was living with her mama and stepfather. Her biological father had left them but Ollie had fond memories of him. Before he disappeared from her and her mama’s lives, he had brought home two Choctaw orphans who became wards of Ollie’s family. Hazel was eleven years old and Nessa was six years old. After Ollie’s father left her and her mama, Ollie’s mother became more dependent on drugs. Ollie soon learned that her stepfather was a dangerous and evil man. Ollie suspected that her stepfather was somehow responsible for Hazel’s disappearance. When Ollie witnessed her stepfather luring over Nessa’s bed one night,Ollie knew that she and Nessa had to escape before it was too late for them. Ollie was wise and observant beyond her years. Her’s and Nessa’s journey, although not without danger, obstacles and challenges, led them to the Winding Stair Mountains.

Life doesn’t always go as planned and that was true for widowed and single mother Valerie Boren O’dell. In 1990, Valerie Boren O’dell found herself with a new role. Valerie recently accepted the position as a Law Enforcement Ranger at Horsethief Trail National Park. She and her young son, Charlie, were going to call Talihina, Oklahoma home for the inevitable future. On Valerie’s first day on the job, she was befriended by a young girl who asked Valerie to keep an eye out for her brother. Her brother was supposed to come and get her and together they were supposed to go to their grandmother’s home. According to this young girl, her brother never showed up and she was worried about him. His distinguishing feature was that he had red hair. Valerie later learned that this young girl had a reputation for stretching the truth. Her “tall tales” had made people doubt her concerns and pleas for help. On that very first day of Valerie’s new role as Ranger, she was confronted with not only the possibility of the girl’s missing brother but with a drowning and the discovery of skeletal remains of young children in a secluded cave. Valerie also had to figure out who she could trust in her new job. It was an uphill battle for Valerie to try and earn the respect from the people she was now working with. Those were not going to be easy tasks but Valerie was not going to give in. How would Valerie be able to put the pieces of the puzzle clues together in order to solve all these occurrences?

Shelterwood by Lisa Wingate was a very captivating book. I enjoyed the dual timeline and admired both protagonists. They both had so much to prove and were unrelenting in their efforts. Until reading Shelterwood, I had no prior knowledge about how innocent young Indigenous children were taken advantage of by scheming and evil white men back in the early 1900’s in Oklahoma. I really enjoyed how the ending of Shelterwood wove the two timelines and important characters together to create a very strong and satisfying conclusion. Although, Shelterwood was not my favorite book by Lisa Wingate, I did enjoy it, appreciate the new information that I learned and feel good about recommending it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction that featured two very strong female protagonists.

Thank you to Ballantine Books Random House Audio for allowing me to read and listen to Shelterwood by Lisa Wingate through Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

I really wanted to love this book. I enjoyed the past time but did not care to much about the present. I think if it was strictly in the past with just the girls as the main focus, I would have enjoyed it more. It was kind of a snooze fest and I did not enjoy it as much as her other books.

I wanted to like this book. The topic was fascinating and the dual timeline intrigued me. However, it was a very slow start for me and quite a chore to finish. Once I got to the halfway point, I was invested enough to continue, but it was still slow going. I liked the ending and the full circle nature of the story, but there were too many characters for me to keep up with and truly invest in.

Lisa Wingate’s latest novel, Shelterwood, weaves an interesting dual narrative set in the Winding Stair Mountains of Oklahoma, exploring the dark legacy of missing children across a century.

In 1990, the remains of three young girls are uncovered in the newly created Horsethief Trail National Park, thrusting park ranger Valerie Boren-Odell, a grieving widow, into a mystery. Despite her boss’s reluctance to investigate, Valerie is determined to uncover the truth, aided by Choctaw tribal police officer Curtis Enhoe. Their investigation soon deepens with the discovery of a teenage boy’s disappearance and an unidentified man’s corpse, linking past and present tragedies.

Parallel to this, the story flashes back to 1909, when eleven-year-old Olive “Ollie” Radley and her Choctaw foster sister flee into the forest to escape abuse. As they seek safety, they encounter other children hiding from similar fates, exposing the broader exploitation of Choctaw children during a tumultuous period in Oklahoma’s history.

Wingate’s skillful storytelling shines through her vivid descriptions and strong sense of place (she grew up in Oklahoma), capturing the vulnerability and resilience of her young characters. The novel provides an insightful look into a dark chapter of history, though some readers may find the Ollie’s narrative overly verbose compared to the more engaging contemporary timeline. In my view, Shelterwood isn’t Wingate’s strongest work, but its emotional depth and historical intrigue make it a worthy read. For those interested in the untold stories of America’s past, this novel is a thought-provoking journey. 4 stars.

** Thanks to the publisher for a comp of this novel. The opinions are my own.

I struggled my way through the pace of this one, but I enjoyed the story. I love a story that has a lesson to share, and Lisa Wingate’s book always have something to teach me.

Shelterwood had me intrigued from the beginning with the split timeline narrative and the mystery surrounding both lead characters. The pacing kept me turning pages because it felt like each chapter ended on a cliffhanger. Shelterwood is a story of resilience and the bonds between those whom we consider as family.

In 1909, Olive and her sister Nessa are on the run in Oklahoma from their abusive stepfather Tesco Peele and trying to make their way to the cabin where Olive lived with her father and mother. They encounter other orphan children along the way and soon their group of two has grown in number. Their journey is full of danger, turmoil and heartache.

In 1990, Law Enforcement Ranger Valerie Boren O'Dell is looking for a fresh start for herself and her son Charlie at Horsethief Trail National Park in Oklahoma, but that start is darkened by the discovery in a cave of children's remains. The mystery only deepens as she looks for a missing teenager and the clues just don't add up.

I loved the historical aspect of this book and learning more about the plight of these children. The wrongs that were committed against those children are staggering and absolutely heartbreaking. I'm glad that the author came across this piece of history and shed light on some of the unsung heroes of that time.

I received this book courtesy of the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This one didn't suck me in the way Before We Were Yours did, but I think that is on me and not on Wingate, so I rounded up instead of down. She is a great author that I really enjoy, I just had a hard time getting into the flow of this one, I could only get through a few pages at a time before I fell asleep. I appreciated the ARC from Net Galley. I learned things I never had any idea about, and they were of course appalling, how American Indian children were taken advantage of by whites chasing money, and how poorly runaways were treated for just trying to survive and wanting to live lives free from abuse. There is nothing fun about the book, but it is educational, and the end was not as dark as I was expecting - hats off to Wingate on that!

Hard to put down once I started! This historical fiction went between two time frames and brought history to life. I always learn something new from Lisa Wingate and this did not disappoint!

Historical fiction novel set in Oklahoma that spans the 1900s that delves into the lives of Choctaw children who were fostered and taken advantage of in many ways. This story is interwoven with a newly hired law enforcement ranger who, while working on a case of a missing teenager, comes across what appears to be the burial site of 3 small children. Well told between the two timelines. Emotional and heart wrenching at times, but exactly what I would expect from Lisa Wingate.

I was definitely slightly disappointed in this book. I felt it was dragging on a bit and did not keep my attention. Not my favorite historical fiction.

This is my 2nd read by Lisa Wingate and it did not disappoint. She does an excellent job of researching an actual event and present a factional story about fictional characters among a factual background, It calls attention to a time in history that is oft forgotten and dismissed, while making it more personal and real by presenting a story about people that we can follow and become attached to. The story is fast paced and keeps you turning the pages while still staying true to the facts and what actually happened and not dropping in the quality of the writing. You know a historical fiction book does it's job if reading a book causes you to read up on the time frame and topic and read everything you can get your hands on about these things! The writing, while above average was not top of the line and for that I refrained from knocking it up a level, but this was a strong 4 star read and I'd absolutely recommend this to anyone!