REVIEW - Shelterwood ebook

Shelterwood by Lisa Wingate (ebook)

OVERVIEW

This was another incredible historical fiction novel about a time that I knew absolutely nothing about!! This novel was written with two timelines - one in 1909 and the other in 1990 basically in the same area of south-eastern Oklahoma. 

The first timeline in 1909 covers the period in Oklahoma when graft and corruption ran rampant to steal valuable land from elderly Native people and Native children to line the pockets of probate judges, lawyers, and white guardians. The 1990 time period is about a fictional national park opening in Oklahoma where mysterious and curious things are occurring in the new national park.  

This is an amazingly well-written and well-researched novel. Lisa took a deep dive into the 1909 period to understand all of the intricacies of what took place.

OVERALL REVIEW: 4.5 stars

Writing: 4.0 stars

Lisa writes so beautifully, but this novel was somewhat difficult to get into in the first few chapters. It was a really dense read and had a lot of backstory that was needed to set up the storyline. 

Character development: 4.0 stars

There are two timelines with different main characters. The 1909 period had Ollie, Nessie, and Hazel while the 1990 time had Val and Curtis. The 1909 characters were two native girls who were guardians of Ollie's stepfather who were mistreated so they all set out to escape their home life. The 1990 characters were Val who is trying to start fresh as a ranger in a new fictional national park and Curtis who is a Tribal Police officer. 

The secondary characters are the friends, family, and associates of the main characters in both times. There were a lot of secondary characters, but not so many as to become confusing. 

The tertiary characters are the fictional National Park and the adjoining native lands. 

Storyline:  4.5 stars 

The storyline is intense in both timelines (no spoilers so I'm being a little vague). 

The 1909 storyline is about the three girls and the trouble, difficulty, and problems that they encounter after they leave home. They survived by their wits and by the kindness of strangers. 

The 1990 storyline begins with the discovery of three skeletons hidden in a cave. Val is determined to discover what happened with Curtis's help. 

The main location is southeastern Oklahoma. 

Memorable/Informative:  5.0 stars

This is a strongly thought-provoking book. The financial mistreatment of the Native people began with the Dawes Act of 1887 which changed the tribal communal land to individual and head-of-household land. Then the White grifters and thieves came in and bought oil-rich or timber-rich property for practically nothing. Additionally, Native peoples were killed including children to gain control of these properties in probate courts as guardians. However, the guardians were only in it to make as much money as possible without any concern for the welfare of the children. These children who were left to fend for themselves were called "elf children". 

Kate Barnard was a stateswoman and politician (before women had the vote) in Oklahoma who wanted to protect these elf children and all children. Unfortunately, Kate only held two terms in office and wasn't able to complete her personal goal of protecting the elf children. She was a heroine and savior to many children yet her life was not taught in Oklahoma history lessons. 

This powerful story was heartbreaking and convicting. What a stain on Oklahoma and U.S. history!

Book cover: 4.0 stars

Very pretty. 

Book title: 4.5 stars 

Excellent

HIGHLY recommend

EBOOK DETAILS

NetGalley ARC (ebook) 

Shelterwood by Lisa Wingate

384 pages

Ballantine Books

Release date of 06/04/2024

INFORMATIONAL LINKS

Lisa Wingate

My Goodreads review

Ballantine Books

NetGalley

Happy reading 📚! 

Dorothea 💜