4.5 stars rounded down.

As an Okie, I LOVED getting to read a book set in the state! It's not often you see books reference small Oklahoma towns throughout and the different difficulties that come with being in a small, rural, remote-ish space.

This novel has dual timelines. Oklahoma was one of the last states annexed into the Unites States of America in 1907. The story told by Ollie Radley is based 1909. She's a young girl escaping treacherous circumstances and an abusive step-father at home with Nessa, a young Choctaw girl her father brought in before he died. The other half of the novel is told by Valerie Boren-O'Dell in 1990. She's a ranger in a new park area in Oklahoma and gets pulled into investigating a few different cases that occur within.

If you've read Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann or know anything about the history of guardianship in the young state of Oklahoma, this novel will make its full impact. If you don't have that foreknowledge, it's not directly explained very well and that's really the only reason I'm taking any points off this rating. Many white folk in the state of Oklahoma would assume guardianship of Native Americans (young and old) in Oklahoma because of the natural resource wealth that would become available to them. The government could deem an adult Native American adults incapable of managing their own money and resources and hand them over to the white men living in their cities. Children were highly sought after, because their whte overseer would have full access and control over all income that was generated off the land that these individuals inherited from the state as recompense for being part of the 5 civilized tribes who were relocated to Indian Territory. The most valued resource was oil and that's what you hear of the most in Grann's book, but as is highlighted here, timber and other resources were also taken advantage of and bled dry by wealthy white men stealing from their Native wards.

It wasn't until the end that I realized how the two stories told in this novel intertwined and I actually loved it a lot. There was complexity, there were politics (but not being overtly hammered into the narrative), and great character and relationship development. Highly recommend this book for a unique historical fiction read!! :)

Enlightening and clearly well researched. The pacing was quite slow at times and this made the reading less enjoyable for me. I’ve enjoyed the author’s previous works so was a bit disappointed in this one.

I think this is my favorite book of the year so far. Clearly well researched, the two stories intertwine perfectly. I enjoyed Before We Were Yours, but this book just spoke to me. I loved each of the stories and would be hard pressed to decide if Ollie or Valerie’s story was my favorite. A wonderful read and now I am anxiously awaiting Ms Wingates next masterpiece!

Exceptional story! A seamless tale of injustice, corruption, resilience and hope. With sharply etched characters that readers will love and love to hate.

I love learning something new when I read historical fiction, and that is definitely the case with Wingate's Shelterwood. The horrendous injustice that followed the 1887 Dawes Severalty Act affected many women and children by grafters or 'guardians' who made their fortunes using illegal means to take the land away from orphaned Native American children and widows.

I absolutely loved the way Ms. Wingate tied the two stories of this dual timeline together, skillfully dropping the clues that would link the two stories together. Ms. Wingate's research is impeccable. This is a seamless blend of fact and fiction that will stand out for its originality, sure to delight fans of historical fiction.

****I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author/publisher through Netgalley and was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I am truly torn between 3 and 4 stars on this book. I'm going to bump it up to 4 stars, because the parts I liked, I REALLY liked. Told in a dual timeline format between 1909 and 1990, this book delves deep into a part of history I was completely unaware of.

The dual timeline format works. It was clear and easy to jump back and forth between characters and subjects. My problem is that I was far more interested, and honestly, enchanted with the 1909 timeline, and had zero interest in the 1990 period. Ollie's story (1909) was mesmerizing. The use of period-specific linguistics and imagery truly transports you to another world, and deeply connects you with brilliantly formed characters. Unfortunately, after reading the first bit of Ollie's story, I couldn't get even minimally interested in Valerie's story or the more current time period. Yes, the two stories were connected and intricately intertwined (although you don't fully understand how until the end). But I was so taken with the characters and history that was part of Ollie's story, I would have much preferred and entire book dedicated to just that. Valerie was less than interesting and more of a simple way to get to the end of Ollie's story.

Another great read from Lisa Wingate. Following Ollie in 1909 and Valerie in 1990, the story of Shelterwood is told in alternating chapters. I loved both characters and was invested with both girls. The setting and the nature were always really well done. Historical fiction is so great because not only do you get a good story, but you also, usually, learn something new along the way. This was super interesting about how children had to live in the woods, or on the run, on their own as their families tried to steal what was rightfully theirs. Ollie and Valerie are a great addition to the historical fiction TBR this summer. Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for the advanced e-copy.

I wanted to like this book and choose it based on the huge success of the Wingate's previous book, Before We Were Yours. Yet, I found the storyline very jumbled due to alternating time frames spaced 80+ years apart. There is quite a bit of world building on the orphans' hardships and escape from abusive and toxic adults but ultimately all that detail doesn't seem to be necessary. The step-father is a villain who like horror movie creeps pops up every so often to harass the children who manage ways to escape. The chapters set in the early 1990s center around a novice female park ranger who deals with prejudice towards her gender. There is an air of mystery covering those 80+ years that doesn't seem to fully develop and the ending resolution is somewhat contrived for readers to believe. I suspect many readers will grab this title based on the success of Before We Were Yours, but will come away disappointed.

3.5/4 stars. Wingate never fails to write about tough subjects that involve kids & Americas history with them. I was very excited to read Shelterwood, but this one felt a little slow for me. However, I appreciated the research and time that went into the book.

Shelterwood has a dual timeline which I love, but I felt it was a little confusing and jarring to switch back and forth. We follow 11 year old Olive in 1909 & park ranger Valerie in 1990. I wanted to find out how they were connected or how the story was going to end up!

Overall this is worth the read & I appreciate knowing more about Oklahomas history and the Choctaw Tribe.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Not only did Shelterwood give me an excellent story, but it swept me away. It brought me back to another time and place. A heart wrenching story about children growing up and trying to survive in the early 1900's. Choctaw children who had to live in the woods to survive. It also sheds light on what some extremes men went to in order to gain lands and wealth in the Oklahoma area. My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

One of my favorite reads this year! Couldn't stop picking it up to find out what happened next. . .work be damned! to hell with the laundry!

Shelterwood weaves the life stories of Olive Radley, a fiesty 11-year old (1909) and a park ranger looking for new experiences Valerie Boren-Odell. Both stories swirl around the Horsethief Springs Trail National Park, where one traverses Cedar Lake environs, including the atmospheric Winding Stair Mountain. The story stuck to my heart a little more every time I read.

I'm a family history sort of girl, and soon it came to me why this was feeling uncomfortably close to my sensitivities. . .my gr-gr-grandfather, born in MO, ran in that race for homesteads on the land that would become Oklahoma, and was a person of some means and authority a very close 51 miles from the Winding Stair Mountain. This read had just become personal, and it still is.

The author's notes at the books end pointed me in the direction of Angie Debo books for further information, which I've now been gathering - was delighted to find I've read a few of them in my youth.

All the stars for Shelterwood , and Lisa Wingate!

*A sincere thank you to Lisa Wingate, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review independently.* #Shelterwood #NetGalley

While this book was well written and obviously thoroughly researched, I can't really give it more than three stars because I found it a slog to get through. I would find my attention wandering off, and even had to reread half of the book to make everything stick. I'm not sure if it was due to the book reading as almost two entirely different stories or what. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Shelterwood was my introduction to Lisa Wingate and I loved her characters and setting. Alternating between 1909 and 1990, this is the story of Olivia and Nessa on the run from an abusive stepfather in the past and Valerie Boren-Odell, a National Parks Service ranger, investigating skeletal remains found in the park and a missing hiker. Nessa is a Choctaw Indian, brought home along with her sister Hazel by Ollie’s father. When he dies and her mother marries Tesco, their stepfather abuses Hazel, who soon disappears. Fearing that Nessa is in danger, Ollie runs away with her. There are rumors of elf children in the forests, but what Ollie and Nessa find are more Indian children who have run away. The government had granted land to every Indian and the children were vulnerable to loggers and oil men who would act as guardians just to take control of the land. The children were often abused or sometimes disappeared. As Ollie and Nessa travel, they form a family of their own with these children.

In 1990, Valerie, a widow and single mother, arrives at the Horse Thief Trail National Park to take up her position. There she meets Sydney, a young girl whose brother has gone missing in the park. Everyone warns her that Sydney spins stories and is not to be believed, but her brother’s abandoned car is found and Valerie begins to investigate. The bones of three children have also been found in a cave. They lead Valerie to look into the history of the area, learning about the elf children and their fate. Valerie develops a friendship with Officer Enhoe of the Choctaw Tribal Police. Together they unravel the mystery of Sydney’s missing brother and discover an ongoing threat to the forests surrounding the park. Wingate’s story was disturbing at times and suspenseful at others. Her characters, whether in the distant past or in the later 1900s, were well developed. She ends her story by tying both stories together and revealing the fate of Ollie and Nessa, a beautiful and very satisfying conclusion. I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House - Ballantine for providing this book.

Shelterwood is a fascinating novel by Lisa Wingate. Wingate tells two stories that ultimately become connected. In 1909 eleven year old Ollie flees to the Oklahoma woods with six year old Nessa to escape Ollie's step father and his bad intentions. They become runaways and their survival is perilous. Eventually they form an unlikely group with other young people living life on the lam and struggling to survive.
In Oklahoma in 1990 law enforcement ranger Valerie Boren-Odell arrives with her young son at their new home. Valerie is soon confronted with a long hidden burial site of three children that's found in a cave. She is also faced with the problem of a teenage hiker gone missing from a trail.
Wingate has written another fascinating and thought provoking novel that's filled with great characters and suspenseful stories.

Shelterwood is a book that goes between two time periods - in 1909 Olive Radley flees her home with her adopted Choctaw sister Nessa. Together they set off on a journey towards the Winding Stairs Mountains where Olive hopes that they can live in peace. Along the way Olive and Nessa encounter other children with whom they form a bond and soon Olive is trying to find a home for not just her and Nessa but a whole group of orphan children. In 1990 Valerie Boren O'Dell moves to Oklahoma and takes on the job of a law enforcement ranger at Horsethief Trail National Park. Soon after arriving she is drawn into the mystery surrounding a burial site of three children in the park and investigating a local missing teenager. What will Valerie find when she untangles the mysteries in the Winding Stair Mountains? And how does it all connect back to Olive and Nessa?

I really enjoyed how this book covered parts of history that I know nothing about. It was interesting to read about Kate Barnard, the first female elected official in Oklahoma and her fight to protect the rights of orphaned Indian children who were often given "guardians" and then cheated out of their land. I was drawn into each time period - when reading the Olive chapters I was captivated by all that her and Nessa and their band of children had to endure. When reading the Valerie chapters I loved trying to figure out the mystery and how it would all tie together. The author did a wonderful job of bringing history and the landscape of Oklahoma to life - I also loved how everything in the book ended up connecting. If you are a fan of Lisa Wingate I recommend reading this book - you will not be disappointed! Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and Net Galley for giving me a digital copy of this book.

This novel will stay with me for a while. It was well researched and the characters were captivating . I love reading a historical novel about a time and place I know very little about. This one falls into that category. It makes me want to learn more!

2.5 stars.

This story is set in Oklahoma with a dual timeline between 1909 and 1990. In 1909, the story follows a group of neglected children living on their own in the mountains. In 1990, the story follows a park ranger looking to uncover the secrets of the long buried remains of 3 children found in the park AND the recent disappearance of a teen boy.

I wanted to like this one, and it started out good. But I don't think this story needed the dual timelines. I think it would have been more interesting and more effective to be told completely in 1909 without the jumps to 1990. In the more modern parts, the story gets bogged down with multiple mysteries-- some that connected with the 1909 story but also some that really didn't seem necessary to this storytelling. I thought the 1990 parts were mostly made of speculation, with the rangers just guessing and ruminating about what might be happening. But not much was actually happening until the end, and that bogged the story down.

And then the ending was just very disappointing. Perhaps this needs a spoiler alert first...

The story ends in the 1990 section, with a huge chunk of the 1909 section being retold and then wrapped up. I really did not like the way that the 1909 story abruptly ended and then we found out what happened through the retelling in the future. Again, I think it would have been much more compelling to follow the events as they were happening in 1909. The author writes more about the setting and her research in the Author's Notes, and I thought many of the things in the Author's Notes were more intriguing that the actual plot of the book.

This one may still be worth a read if you want to learn more about the "elf children" of Oklahoma. I did like reading about this unfamiliar part of history.

This was a truly interesting book, one of the best that I've read lately. It is written with alternating POVs in a dual timeline setting, 1909 and 1990.

While I do appreciate the need for writing in dual timelines, the first two or three chapters were a little difficult for me to follow. However, once I learned the characters and the settings, it was much easier to switch back and forth between the two.

With the engaging writing style that Lisa Wingate employs, I will freely admit that I very quickly became completely invested in this story. While this is a fictional account, her story is based on true historical facts and therefore gives the novel a much richer meaning. With each chapter ending on somewhat of a cliffhanger, I found this book extremely hard to put down, and I enjoyed it immensely. Knowing that some of the themes and events were factual made it even more appealing.

Many thanks to the author and to NetGalley for a complementary ARC of this book.

Title: Shelterwood
By: Lisa Wingate

Genre:
Fiction, Historical, Christian, Mystery

Trigger Warnings: Child Neglect, Child Abuse, Women’s/Children’s Rights,

Favorite Quotes:
“Stories turn into memories, you just have to tell them enough.”
“Hate is a thief that will steal everything and return nothing if you let it.”
“A town without a library is no town at all.”
Summary:
Oklahoma, 1909 - Olive (11), and Nessa (6), are afraid for their lives. Their stepfather is in a mood and the girls can tell his intentions are not good, so they run away on an adventure. The girls head toward the Winding Stair Mountains, a dangerous area known for outlaws, along the way they meet other children like themselves and together they build a family-like community.

Oklahoma, 1990 - Valerie is a single parent, and new in town when she happens upon a young girl who requests Valerie find her brother. Valerie is a newly employed ranger in town, and quickly wins the approval of the Choctaw Tribal Police. Together they work to find a missing person, and a young man.

Review:
The talented Lisa Wingate takes on another piece of rarely discussed history in her new novel Shelterwood. This novel turned out to be so much better than I expected! I gained so much knowledge from this novel about the Choctaw life, culture, and people. Wingate uses two different times which transition effortlessly. The earlier time frame builds on how young children narrowly escape danger over and over again. Ollie and Nessie are brave, fearless, and determined. Their characters are a beautiful portrayal of survival. Valerie’s character is more sly, scheming, daring, yet courageous. She is dead set on getting to the bottom of the truth, regardless of who stands in her way! This storyline was exciting, fast paced, and unexpected. When I finished reading this novel, I wanted to learn about the Choctaw Life. I love that Lisa Wingate’s novels do that for me! Highly Recommended!

Thank you Lisa Wingate , Random House Publishing Group, Ballentine, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

#reluctantreaderreads
#lisawingate
#shelterwood
#historicalfiction
#NetGalley
#advancedreadereditions
#Randomhousepublishing
#Ballentine

I was excited to read a new Lisa Wingate book! It started a little slow for me but then amped up! She does such an amazing job cultivating her characters and this book was no different. All the emotions!

4 stars!

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reader copy!

Publish date 06/04/2024

I enjoyed this! It was informative and I felt fully immersed in the setting and adventure. it didn't pull at my heart strings quite as much as I though it would given the topic - wish the writing had been a bit more emotional and engaging. Overall still enjoyed it.