🎧 Shelterwood 🎧⁣
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⁣Length- 368 pages. ⁣
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⁣Genre- Historical Fiction. ⁣
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⁣My thoughts- Shelterwood is a captivating historical fiction about the women pioneers that fought to protect children caught in the storm of land barons hungry for power and oil wealth. It follows Olive, who escapes her abusive stepfather and helps set up a refuge with young Native American children in an area she calls Shelterwood. The kids survive by hunting, fishing and working odd jobs in nearby communities. Alternatively, the modern timeline follows Valerie, a widow who has moved to Oklahoma to work as a park ranger. She soon finds herself sucked into the investigation of three bodies found in a cave. ⁣
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⁣This book is heart wrenching and well researched! As a native Okie, I’m shocked that I didn’t learn about the abuses orphaned Native American children faced from people greedy to steal their land rights. I’m so glad that books like Shelterwood are coming out and telling these stories that have been ignored by history for too long! ⁣
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⁣Fours stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I recommend this book to fans of historical fiction. ⁣
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⁣Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of Shelterwood. It is available now.

Shelterwood
by Lisa Wingate (This review is from and ARC sent to me by NetGalley)
The author explores a centuries-long legacy of missing child cases and little-known history of the women pioneers
who fought to protect children who were caught in the land grab. “This reality was the legacy of the 1887 Daws Severalty Act through which
parcels of land under tribal control were systematically divided into allotment parcels and given to individual members” The eventual result
was the breakup of tribal lands.
Subsequently untold wealth of coal, oil, asphalt and timber made its way to land barons, oil companies and grafters.
The novel goes from chapters alternating between the years 1909 and 1990.
In 1909 in Oklahoma the story centers around two young sisters, Olive and Nessa, who escape abuse and find themselves in the wilderness of the Winding Stair Mountains, Olive faces all the challenges they encounter on their own and she will protect her sister Nessa. They encounter abuse and slave like labor. Often hungry and foraging for food. One of the heroes of the story is Kate Barnard as Oklahoma’s newly elected commissioner of charities and corrections rescues the “elf children”

In 1990. Law enforcement ranger Valerie Boren-Odell arrives at new Horsethief Trail National Park seeking a quiet place to balance a career and single parenthood. But no sooner has Valerie reported for duty than she's faced with local controversy over the park's opening, a teenage hiker gone missing from one of the trails, and the long-hidden burial site of three children unearthed in a cave.
Valerie soon finds out about the secrets and corruption of the land and the tribal peoples.
This is an emotional novel and covers a little-known history of Oklahoma’s period of corruption, land grabbing of tribal lands and the displaced children.

Shelterwood is a historical fiction that focuses on Native American land ownership, and more specifically, the stories of children who were abandoned and exploited by rich men who stole land that was inherited by the children. Told through dual timeframes of 1909 and 1990, the "current" time character, park ranger Valerie, investigates the story of the remains of three children discovered in the new national park she is assigned to. The flashbacks are focused on Ollie, who has run away from her abusive stepfather and has several Choctaw children with her as they learn to survive in their "Shelterwood" community.

While the premise is interesting and important - women pioneers fighting for the rights of the children - I found it difficult to become engrossed and invested in the story. I didn't love how the story developed or the pacing; it was pretty far into the story before you even know the plot. I never felt like the dual timeframes really meshed or came together very well in the end. That said, it is well researched and informative. I absolutely loved While We Were Yours and Lisa Wingate is a wonderful author, but this one just didn't hit me the same way.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for the e-galley in exchange for a honest review.

Great Historical Fiction told in dual timelines that are both hanging with mystery and intrigue. This book tells a part of American History that is often left out. Many Indigenous were murdered to steal their land. This story needs told. The author used an intertwining telling that kept me interested. Don’t pass up the Author’s note, as it is a great story on it’s own!

I love how Lisa brings lost stories to life. This follows a group of children in Oklahoma in the early 1900s who were discarded but determined to make a life of their own.
I'm a sucker for a dual timeline story and the present timeline was just as entertaining for me. Loved the focus on the National Parks Service.
There were times that the story was a little slow but overall a great read.

This author is such a good writer. This story was so well written and i was hooked from the first few pages.

I have a penchant, for finding books about children being misused, mistreated and left to their own devices to figure out how to survive. Often these books are set in an earlier time in less than friendly environments, sometimes woods, sometimes mountains, but always challenging places. Wingate’s characters run from smart and brash to evil and cunning. Told in dual timelines I defy you not to be amazed by Olive Augusta Peele and her rock hard logic and quick to take action personality as she tries to survive her troubled home life in 1909. Sydney is her equal in the 1990 current timeline. As I was reading the 1990 timeline I kept wondering what was happening back in 1909 - the transitions were mostly well done. The parallels of the personalities and the plot are well defined. The ending was a sharp intake of breath - well done.

If you have read “Killers of the Flower Moon” you will recognize much of the history referred to in Shelterwood. If you have missed this and the subsequent movie you may have no idea or knowledge of the grafters , specifically in Oklahoma, who stole the land of the American Native. The Author’s Note offers an abridged version of just how shameless the treatment was of the Indian tribes, the elf children and Kate Barnard, a woman history has tried to forget.

Many thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for a copy.

This is only the second book I have read by Wingate and I do enjoy her style. This was an interesting story and I enjoyed the historical aspect. Overall, it made me think and learn while reading it so I appreciate that in a good book! Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Lisa Wingate is a beautiful writer, and I appreciate how her stories are inspired by lesser-known historic events. It is evident that her research is extremely thorough, ensuring her readers feel fully immersed in the story. Wingate’s novel “Before We Were Yours” is one of my all-time favorite, so I went into this book with high expectations. Unfortunately, while interested in this story and the history, I found the book to be extremely slow and difficult to hold my attention, and ultimately I decided to not finish about 30% into the novel. In my opinion the pacing was holding back the story, and I felt myself getting lost because my mind getting drifting. Perhaps this was just not the book for me, and it will definitely be of greater interest to other readers!

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for my gifted e-galley of the book!

Lisa Wingate writes with such poignancy and sensitivity that I know immediately that I will be drawn into her books, and her latest novel is no exception. SHELTERWOOD is actually two stories, the first a 1990's tale of a young widowed mother who takes on a new park ranger position in an Oklahoma national forest, only to find that she must again fight to be accepted as a full-fledged law enforcement agent. When the old bones of three unidentified girls are found in a cave, only to be quickly removed without investigation, Valerie is unsettled. This only grows when a local teen and his grandmother disappear and no one offers any clear cut answers. The second story line brings to life the abundance of orphans, both Native American and non-natives who lived and died in the early 1900's, abandoned by those who were supposed to care for them. As Wingate relates in her notes, her novel shines the light on the work of the Federation of Women's Clubs and especially that of Kate Barnard who was elected to the US Congress in a time when women did not have the vote. If you like stories that delve into parts of our history which never make it into the history books (and if you liked Killers of the Flower Moon) then you will like this book.

Shelterwood by Lisa Wingate is a fascinating historical fiction novel that jumps between two timelines—1909 and 1990—rooted in true historical events. The story follows Val, a social worker in 1990 who’s completely burnt out and decides to volunteer at Shelterwood, a camp for troubled teens set on an old estate.

As Val tries to help these teens with their issues, we also get glimpses of the estate’s history back in 1909. These two stories are woven together, showing how the past and present connect in unexpected ways. It’s amazing how the history of the estate impacts Val and the teens, helping them heal and grow.

This book does a great job of mixing historical events with a touching story about finding hope, healing, and new beginnings. It’s a reminder of how the past can shape us and how nature and community can help us move forward.

This was a historical fiction/contemporary flashback novel I just could not put down!
The historical perspective of early 1900s Oklahoma was one I had never read about before, and it was both well-researched and enchanting. The characters were relatable, the plot was exciting, and the scenery/imagery were beautiful.
Those who enjoyed this book would also like reading Killers of the Flower Moon.

Early 1900s - a group of orphans just trying to survive by banding together in the woods.

1990 - After the accidental death of her husband, law enforcement ranger Valerie Boren-Oredell arrives at the new Horsethief Trail National Park. She's looking for a quiet place to raise her son. None of the current rangers or residents want her there. There's a missing teenage hiker and a cave full of children's bones. Val gets an ally with one of the Choctaw Tribal Police but old secrets and greed create danger for them both."

Wingate has written another story about a time where children had no voice. The two timelines don't connect until the end and you don't know where the overlap is. At times, the early story was tough to read - lots of description. I liked the recent timeline better. It was interesting to see how the two stories tied together.

This is my second book from Wingate - she writes some evil adults.

As is often my issue with dual timeline books, there isn’t enough time with the characters in either story to truly get invested. I liked learning about the Oklahoma history surrounding the orphaned children and the perilous history of the land in the early 1900s. I also liked reading from the perspective of a female park ranger in the 1990s. But there were just too many moving parts and characters and explanation of history instead of the events unfolding for me to love this one. It had good bones and just okay execution.

Set in the Winding Stairs Mountains region, and is steeped in the history of Oklahoma and the division of Native American lands into parcels given to others in the 1880s. It's a dual-timeline narrative, going between a 1990s single mother, who begins investigating this piece of history, and some children forced to flee their home in 1909. The story flows,, and it is well-researched. I learned so much about this little-taught history of our country,.

Shelterwood is beautifully written. Lisa Wingate has done it again with another thought provoking novel focused on children's lives in a historical perspective. This is definitely a heavier read than I normally prefer, but it definitely makes you think. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the free advanced reader's copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

Fans of Killers of the Flower Moon who want to learn more about Oklahoma's statehood should definitely dive into Lisa Wingate's Shelterwood. Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the ARC. I haven't picked up Lisa Wingate's novels before Shelterwood but I recognize her name and covers. I poo-poo'd them a little because I thought her books would be just another crappy historical fiction about WW2.

She might be up there with some of my favorite Historical Fiction writers now! Shelterwood focuses on the fascinating yet devastating history of guardians over indigenous children who were set to inherit vast amounts of money and tracts of land. We meet Ollie and Nessa, two girls running away from one of these guardians in 1909, and their struggle to survive in the backwoods of Choctaw Nation. Alongside is Ranger Valerie Boren-O'Dell's POV in 1990, as she struggles to be part of the LEO team only to uncover grifters and some bad folk.

Fans of Kristin Hannah and Martha Hall Kelly will enjoy this Southern Historical Fiction with a touch of mystery and intrigue.

Another great story by Lisa Wingate. Told in a dual timeline, it is important as the earlier time explains what is really happening and foreshadowing what is happening in the present time. A lot of ah-ha moments as the readers make connections from the past to the present of both the characters and their circumstances. I love that the protagonist in each timeline is a strong female, passionate for justice and compassionate of others. Spellbinding since the beginning page, Wingate weaves a mystery of abused and abandoned children lost in the woods, teens disappearing, nefarious activity, and a questionable foster care system . Through the tenacity of a newly minted park ranger, she has to fight prejudice and the good ole' boys club. Something is not right in the park, people are missing, and bones have been discovered in a cave on the eve of the Park opening. While these events are dismissed and brushed aside, Ranger Valerie feels the need to investigate but is not sure whom she can trust except for the local Choctaw Tribal Police. Some twists and turns and surprises, this is such a good story. Be sure to add this one to your TBR pile. Many thanks to #netgalley #lisawingate #shelterwood for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I read a lot of historical fiction, but generally not from this time period. After having read another of Wingate’s historical I felt to give this one a try as well and I am really glad I did!

This dual time-timeline story takes place in Oklahoma in 1909 and 1990. The 1909 storyline follows a group of young children in an unfortunate situation while the 1990 storyline follows a NPS ranger at a new park. It was a joy to see how each story played out and eventually came together.

Great read! 4 stars!

This historical fiction novel based on true events was engrossing and educational. I am not normally drawn to this genre because most of these novels are dry and uninteresting, but I really like this author and her books, and that combined with the fact that the summary looked appealing to me, I decided to give it a shot. I am so glad I did, it was so good! I was pulled in especially by the children and the lives that they led, and also found learning about the Choctaws and Oklahoma from 1909 and 1990 to be interesting. The research that the author conducted was evident throughout the book. I was impressed and fascinated with what I read in the Author’s Note and Acknowledgments, too. I had never heard about this topic before and I am grateful to have been introduced to it. The storylines were captivating and emotional, be prepared to get sucked in.

#shelterwood #netgalley #bookreview