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A review by shelbyanoel
Shelterwood by Lisa Wingate
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I have been a longtime fan of Lisa Wingate, and her latest "Shelterwood", truly delivered. Rooted in real events of Oklahoma and children that were orphaned and minor children of tribes of "Cherokee, Chickasaw, Creek. Choctaw, and Seminole" and "elf children". This novel fascinated me and left me just taken-back by the events of our history that I never learned about in school, not to mention the women "Ollie" and "Kate" that were monumental in this movement and for US History.
Personally, rooted in the Midwest USA, very close to American Indian Tribal land (Wind River Reservation) this take on historical Oklahoma really gave me a new and alternative perspective into the historical aspect of other tribes outside WR and my own Wyoming roots. Wingate really outdid herself with the alternating viewpoints of Valerie and Ollie/Nellie, and the children of "Shelterwood". There were points between the alternating chapters and "small cliff hangers" that left me predicting and analyzing for signs of what would happen next. Not to mention the way that Wingate tied it all together in the end, left a resounding lesson for me. The children were SO lovable for me. I was rooting for them the whole time.
There were lots of memorable and beautiful quotes, too. I just wanted to take a moment and share one that encompassed Ollie and Nellie and their journey of perseverance, sisterhood, resiliency, resounding impact, and dreams:
"So you see, the small dream that was born among the children of this forest did not die here. it grew as dreamers grew. Its branches stretched through air, to places far and near, to forests and deserts, across rivers and oceans. Evil could not poison it. Men could not cut it down. Floods could not wash it away. It grew into a tree of life, of lives" (Chapter 31).
I would love to read this again. I am excited to share with my teacher friends and my bookclub friends.
Thank you Random House Publishing Group from NetGalley for this ARC. I loved the journey of "Shelterwood" from start to finish.
Personally, rooted in the Midwest USA, very close to American Indian Tribal land (Wind River Reservation) this take on historical Oklahoma really gave me a new and alternative perspective into the historical aspect of other tribes outside WR and my own Wyoming roots. Wingate really outdid herself with the alternating viewpoints of Valerie and Ollie/Nellie, and the children of "Shelterwood". There were points between the alternating chapters and "small cliff hangers" that left me predicting and analyzing for signs of what would happen next. Not to mention the way that Wingate tied it all together in the end, left a resounding lesson for me. The children were SO lovable for me. I was rooting for them the whole time.
There were lots of memorable and beautiful quotes, too. I just wanted to take a moment and share one that encompassed Ollie and Nellie and their journey of perseverance, sisterhood, resiliency, resounding impact, and dreams:
"So you see, the small dream that was born among the children of this forest did not die here. it grew as dreamers grew. Its branches stretched through air, to places far and near, to forests and deserts, across rivers and oceans. Evil could not poison it. Men could not cut it down. Floods could not wash it away. It grew into a tree of life, of lives" (Chapter 31).
I would love to read this again. I am excited to share with my teacher friends and my bookclub friends.
Thank you Random House Publishing Group from NetGalley for this ARC. I loved the journey of "Shelterwood" from start to finish.