The Evolution of Annabel Craig

by Lisa Grunwald

A young Southern woman sets out on a journey of self-discovery as the infamous 1925 Scopes Trial tests her faith and her marriage in this moving novel from the author of Time After Time and The Irresistible Henry House.

“Lisa Grunwald is a national treasure. . . . An essential American story from a master craftsman.”—Adriana Trigiani, New York Times bestselling author of The Good Left Undone

I had never questioned a miracle, witnessed a gunfight, or seen a dead body. . . . I had thought I knew exactly what I wanted and what I didn't. Before the summer was over, all that and much more would change.
 
Annabel Hayes—born, baptized, and orphaned in the sleepy conservative town of Dayton, Tennessee—is thrilled to find herself falling quickly and deeply in love with George Craig, a sophisticated attorney newly arrived from Knoxville. But before the end of their first year of marriage, their lives are beset by losses. The strain on their relationship is only intensified when John T. Scopes is arrested for teaching Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution at the local high school.

Foreshadowing today’s culture wars, the trial against Scopes is a spectacle unlike any the country has seen. William Jennings Bryan—a revered Southern politician—joins the prosecution, pitting himself and his faith against the renowned defense attorney Clarence Darrow. Journalists descend in a frenzy, thrusting the town and its citizens into the national spotlight. And when George joins the team defending Scopes, Annabel begins to question both her beliefs and her vows.

As the ongoing trial divides neighbor against neighbor, it also divides the Craigs in unexpected ways. But in the midst of these conflicts—one waged in an open courtroom, the other behind closed doors—Annabel will discover that the path to her own evolution begins with the courage to think for herself.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Book Club, Audiobook, Adult Fiction, Religion

320 pages, Hardcover

First published April 16, 2024

About the author

Lisa Grunwald is the author of the novels The Evolution of Annabel Craig, Time After Time, The Irresistible Henry House, Whatever Makes You Happy, New Year's Eve, The Theory of Everything, and Summer. Along with her husband, former Reuters editor-in-chief Stephen J. Adler, she edited the bestselling anthologies The Marriage Book, Women's Letters and Letters of the Century. Grunwald is an occasional essayist and runs a side hustle on Etsy called ProcrastinationArts, where she sells other things she makes with pencils and paper. She lives in New York City.
Photo courtesy of author website.

Reviews

[Angela M · Rating 4 out of 5]

This work of historical fiction has much to offer. I knew of the famous Scopes trial and that it was about teaching evolution in high school. However , I didn’t remember that it was in Dayton, Tennessee , that it was a century ago, or that it was William Jennings Bryan arguing for the prosecution and Clarence Darrow on the defense team for John Scopes. I learned all of that and more in this fictional account told from the point of view of a young woman who was married to a lawyer on the defense team .

While the historical facts surrounding the case definitely held my interest as did the depiction of the chaos that ensued in this small town during the trial , I was very much engaged in Annabel Craig’s journey to find her true self and come into her own. As a woman who was held down by the mores of the times that determined her place was tending her home and caring for her husband, Annabel ‘s evolution makes for a great story. The relevance of the issues - church vs state, what can be taught in schools , banned books to what is happening today a century later is chilling. It’s well researched and I appreciated the notes telling us what was real and what was imagined, which characters bedsides Scopes and the famous attorneys were real, or based on real people. It very well written. An enjoyable read.

I’m late in getting to this as I received it as an advanced copy from
Random House through NetGalley .

[Becky Zagor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I need to tell you I have never read this author and I did not receive the ARC by a publisher. I purchased the ARC on ebay because the plot sounded interesting and I knew little about the famous Scope and evolution trial.
What a delight and surprise I had after reading this book in just 2 sittings! Loved the historical information and really enjoyed the development of Annabel throughout the clever plot line. Characters seemed real as did their emotions and actions. Just a fantastic book for any historical fiction loved who likes to read about strong women who face the societal and cultural pressures of their day.

[Lisa Wolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating look at a pivotal moment in 1920s America, as seen through the eyes of a woman reevaluating her own place in the world. The main character is wonderful, and the details of the trial and the social upheavals it brings are riveting. Highly recommended.

[☮Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.
Annabel has lived in Dayton, TN, all her life and is now married to one of the supporting attorneys to Clarence Darrow's Scopes Monkey Trial, or where they put the teaching of evolution on trial. The teacher Scopes couldn't even remember if he'd covered evolution in any of his days as a substitute teacher but went along with being the subject of the trial just to get a verdict in the history books.

I'd forgotten what this book was about but I found it extremely informative and entertaining. Separately, it reminded me that Clarence Darrow's first law office when out of school was in my small Illinois hometown, which you can see mentioned on Darrow's Wikipedia page but not on anything you'll ever see about my hometown. It's their guilty secret, I believe, being in a conservative part of Illinois.

Throughout Annabel's marriage and the trial proceedings, she evolves from a typical housewife to a free-thinking, strong woman. I'm surprised this hasn't been more widely read, and I highly recommend it if you enjoy women's issues or historical fiction. This was brought to my attention when gifted to me by Penguin Random House through NetGalley, and the audiobook I borrowed through Libby was very excellent.

I had never questioned a miracle, witnessed a gunfight, or seen a dead body. . . . I had thought I knew exactly what I wanted and what I didn’t. Before the summer was over, all that and much more would change. (The Evolution of Annabel Craig)

[M.J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lisa is an amazing author - like her last The Evolution of Annabel Craig blew me away. She is a treasure and I'm so grateful to have gotten this book to read. Thank you.

[Stacy40pages · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Evolution of Annabel Craig by Lisa Grunwald. Thanks to @randomhousebooks for the gifted Arc ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A young Southern woman discovers herself, her husband, and the world around her when her faith is tested during the infamous Scopes trial taking on teaching evolution in schools.

My favorite historical fiction is like this book. I learn about an event I knew nothing about, the Scopes Trial, but I also get an engaging story on its own. Annabel has great character development as she learns how science and religion can coexist. The trial was slow at moments for me but it is historical so important.

“People who say they know the Bible from cover to cover but don’t act on it are the ones who cause the trouble. Better to concentrate on this world than spend too much time thinking about the next.”

The Evolution of Annabel Craig comes out 4/16.

[Ellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book! is one of the best books I have ever read! Set in Dayton, Tennessee, in 1925, the background is the trial of John Scopes and the battle of religion vs. evolution and science. The trial lawyers were Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan. INHERIT THE WIND was a play written on the very same subject. This book of the finest eloquently written literature, by Lisa Grunwald, should be read by everyone, especially history/religious buffs! It is a story of the wakening of Annabel Craig throughout this trial, and awaken she does, in sublime style. Beautifully written, it is truly a piece of incredible research and facts. Thank you to Random House Publishing and Net galley for the ARC....This book goes into my top 5 of books read this year! WONDERFUL!

[Bam cooks the books · Rating 4 out of 5]

**Happy Publication Day!!**

I really enjoyed this work of historical fiction that takes place in Dayton, TN, during the Scopes trial (1925), a test case over the right of the state to ban the teaching of evolution in schools. The main character is Annabel Craig, a young farm girl, orphaned at age 16 when her parents both died of the Spanish flu. At 20, she meets and marries a young lawyer whose career hits the big time when he is lucky enough to be part of the high school teacher John Scopes' defense team under Clarence Darrow.

Annabel is a strong character, pure of heart, but rather naive about the world at large. What she learns during the weeks of the trial, especially about her husband, sets in motion her own 'evolution.'

It's fascinating to see history come to life with all the famous participants, like Williams Jennings Bryan, Clarence Darrow and H. L. Mencken. But the fictional people, like Annabel and Lottie, the journalist from Chattanooga, TN, are equally enchanting. Loved listening to the arguments involving science and religion, both inside and outside the courtroom.

Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with an arc of this novel via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

[Addie Yoder · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this book started well with the story of Annabel and George. Then it went deep into religion and lost me for the middle. It came back around again some when it went back to Annabel and George. I like Grunwald's writing style. I loved the idea of this history. But it really slumped in the middle for me.

[Moonkiszt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is a head-on collision of cultures, the healing of which will leave Mr. and Mrs. Craig forever changed.

Mrs. Craig, who is the Annabel of the book title was raised Christian with a capital "C." Scriptures are present in these pages, pulled from the life and memories of Annabel. Arming her for life with religion's protective gear of safety harness, vest, shield and slingshot through the everyday teachings of purposeful worship, her family set her feet firmly on the Path. She was afforded this by the upraising she had at the loving and earnest hands of her parents, as well as their supportive and wary community.

Mr. Craig, George, to his friends was an anxious ambitious attorney who has a Plan A so big that a Plan B is superfluous. He's also a Ham Radio operator. (This odd fact stuck to the tumbleweeds of interest in my head as my father was a world champion amateur radio ham - I was raised in the dot.dot.dash of morse code.) George Craig's worldview is wide-ranging, and open- handed. He's not tied to deity nor accountability to the unseen. He's very interested in battle and all of its strategies.

Lisa Grunwald's story leans in on their marriage - and the cracks that happen in the heat of community turmoil when in their town of Dayton, Tennessee, teacher John Scopes begins introducing Darwin's theory of evolution to the school children of Dayton, many of whom are parented by Christian congregants of the Earth-in-7-Days doctrine. Legal efforts are engaged, a lawsuit is brought and soon celebrity lawyers (Clarence Darrow, William Jennings Bryan) join the battle from both sides of the fight. What Mr. and Mrs. Craig didn't expect is that they would find themselves on opposite sides.

That's as far as I take you, Reader, as the story is a good one, and worth your time. It is particularly well-researched and the backs-and-forths of the trial are an education in an of themselves, that is not much scrutinized these days. Out of this read the heat of the conflict was felt and helped this reader, with the benefit of time and hindsight, to realize the consequential outcomes of that particular struggle in ways participants in the moment may have only begun to consider. One of those long wonders that has now stretched out over a century.

*A sincere thank you to Lisa Grunwald, Random House Publishing Group, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review independently.*

[Laurel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tennessee’s 1925 Butler Act made it illegal to teach “any theory that denies the story of the Divine Creation of man as taught in the Bible, and to teach instead that man has descended from a lower order of animals.”

Annibel Craig is a young newlywed in Butler, TN, where this controversial law prohibiting teaching evolution was - quite intentionally - first challenged. What ensued was the famous Scopes Trial which (per Wikipedia) “included a raucous confrontation between prosecution attorney and fundamentalist religious leader, William Jennings Bryan, and noted defense attorney and religious agnostic, Clarence Darrow.”

Through clear and clever writing, the author brings us inside the perspective of a local bystander - not really an ideologue on either side of the debate. (And at a time when women were hardly thought to have any kind of policy or political mind whatsoever. “Women had won the vote in 1920 three years before, but we wouldn’t be allowed on juries till decades later.”) I thought it was fascinating.

“…gradually, I realized it didn’t matter what each man believed about creation or evolution or what should be taught and where: They all agreed emphatically that testing the law in Dayton would be sure to bring in business—maybe even revive the blast furnace that had once helped the town thrive.”

“… if you’d asked me about evolution then, all I would have told you is that folks who believed in it thought men had come from monkeys, and so we should pray for those folks. I’d have told you I’d heard that evolution was a conspiracy hatched by godless Yankee highbrows to turn good Christians away from the Bible and therefore destine us to spend eternity in hell.”

“…And if you didn’t hold to the Bible on Creation, what else might you not believe? I had never thought to ask. There had been no need to. The sky was blue, the hills were purple, the summers were long, and the Bible was true.”

The development of the trial was told very well from Annabel’s perspective, threading through the public dialogue her private reflections as everything she’s been taught is challenged.

“What is the purpose of this examination?” “The purpose,” Bryan declared, turning his whole body to face the crowd, “is to cast ridicule on everybody who believes in the Bible.” “We have the purpose,” Darrow responded with equal passion, “of preventing bigots and ignoramuses from controlling the education of the United States, and you know it, and that is all.”

“I thought of the different strains of strawberries my father had planted, and the seed catalogues he’d pored over, looking for new blends of grass. No one seemed to have a problem believing that other things in nature had altered over time. Only man was supposed to have been perfect from the start.”

This story was beautifully told, has all of the elements of great historical fiction: well researched, clearly presents the facts known about the story and cultural context while bringing the reader inside what people likely thought and might have felt at the time. And does it through round, evolving characters with their own believable voices and relatable challenges. 4.5 stars rounded up :)

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Kim McGee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Historical fiction of a famous Scopes Trial and the impact on a small town balanced with the independence of one of its residents. A publicity stunt for the town of Dayton Tennessee sets off a powder keg trial matching up Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryon arguing over the legality and right to teach evolution vs. religious creation in schools. This deeply religious town and its inhabitants including Annabel Craig was thrown into the maelstrom and threatened to sever family, friends and marriages. Annabel's husband, an attorney and science believer, was deeply committed to defending the rights of the school teacher charged with breaking the law and teaching evolution.
Annabel used her photography skills to help the journalists but was split between two camps. She saw the good and bad of both sides, the havoc that the "monkey trial" created in her hometown and the effects on her husband. For the first time in her life she had the power to make up her own mind evolving from a meek woman who accepted everything to one who questioned. For readers of historical fiction with a birdseye view of an event blended with a fictional character that feels very real. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Somehow the cover does not fit this story at all. This historical fiction novel is set during the Scopes Trial of 1925 in Tennessee. Besides the well known lawyers involved, this novel features a young wife (Annabel) who believes in the truth of the Bible, her lawyer husband who is part of the defense of evolution team, and a female journalist covering the trial. The most intriguing part for me was watching Annabel open herself to consider possible truths that were new to her. The story truly enforces the need of all people to be willing to listen, really communicate with each other. It was also so interesting that the closely held views of the town in 1925 are closely reflective of some people’s views nearly 100 years later.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC to read and review.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book. I didn’t know what to expect, and I’m not sure I could have even expected what this book was, but it was enjoyable from the beginning to end. While the idea of religion being on trial swirls around the Scopes trial, this book does not put religion on trial. This book looks at enlightenment and the ability to think for one’s self. It embraces religion while acknowledging that you can also embrace science at the same time. While about a long ago time, this book is fitting for today and holds truths that many of today’s readers would benefit from learning.
I received an ARC from NetGalley

[Keri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Annabel Craig was born and raised in the conservative town of Dayton, TN - after she lost her parents at 16, she lived in a boardinghouse until she meets her much more worldly, sophisticated and modern thinking husband George, who is a lawyer from Knoxville. Their young marriage is already strained when Dayton becomes the epicenter of the 1925 culture wars when the Scopes Monkey Trial is held there. Newspeople, lawyers and famous preachers descend on the town while evolution is debated amongst the citizens. Neighbors are set against each other as fundamental beliefs are questioned - can science and religion co-exist? As Annabel’s narrow world is broadened, her beliefs about herself and what she can accomplish also expands.

I thought the choice to have the Scopes Monkey Trial as a backdrop (and based on our present day culture wars, I thought very appropriate) was interesting and smart. I think the book just didn’t fully grab me for two reasons (1) the characters remained more like 2 dimensional representations of ideas rather than real people (the churchgoer, the sassy independent woman, etc.) and (2) the story just didn’t engage me as much as I wanted it to. In the end I think I wanted to enjoy the book more than I actually did. I will always pick up Grunwald's books because I enjoyed her last two and the Irresistible Henry House is an all-time favorite of mine, but this one fell a bit flat for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and and Random House for the ARC to review

3.5 stars

[Nora Moulton · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Evolution of Annabelle Craig is historical fiction based on a woman who is challenged to see beyond Biblical texts during the Scopes Trial, which is set in her hometown. The character develops well in Grunwald’s writing, while the prose is very easy to follow, thus the four stars. I read this book on vacation and found it an easy and interesting read.

[Susan Willis · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the fictionalized look at the Scopes Trial, we find young Annabel Craig married to a local defense attorney. While we follow the trial, we also see Annabel's thinking evolve. Totally fascinating.

[Laura A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Annabel is enjoying her life with her husband. They both have opposing views on a local trial involving a teacher. Annabel is learning more about herself and the person she is becoming. An enjoyable read about a different era.

[HalKid2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

NOTE: I received an advanced readers copy of this book and I'm writing this review voluntarily. Thank you netgalley and Random House. Scheduled publication: April 16, 2024.

THE EVOLUTION OF ANNABEL CRAIG is a solid, well-written historical fiction centered around the famous Scopes Trial (aka the Monkey Trial) that took place in the small town of Dayton, Tennessee in 1925. The novel examines the impact of the trial on the town, and on one woman in particular. It's a story that feels particularly timely, given what's going on in the United States at this moment.

I think I first learned about the Scopes Trial (named for teacher-defendant John T. Scopes) many decades ago when I watched the powerful 1960 movie Inherit the Wind, starring Fredric March and Spencer Tracy, though that movie was adapted from a play by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee (NO, NOT the Civil War general).

I'm not sure younger readers are familiar with this case; it was a religion vs. science trial to determine whether the scientific theory of evolution could be taught in Tennessee public schools. Remember that Tennessee is solidly in the Bible Belt, an area of the United States that has historically been deeply conservative and devoutly Christian. Interesting to note that the term Bible Belt is credited to journalist H.L. Mencken who covered the Scopes Trial and is a character in this novel.

The story begins when the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) announces it will finance a test case against a new law in Tennessee, called the Butler Act, which made it illegal to teach evolution in the schools, for fear it would undermine belief in God and the Bible. An ambitious group of businessmen in Dayton decide a trial could boost publicity, prestige, and tourism in their struggling town. So they talk unassuming teacher and football coach, John Thomas Scopes into becoming the defendant. This informal meeting is overheard near the beginning of the novel by one of Dayton's residents, Annabel Craig, a young woman in her 20s, newly married, devoutly religious, and typical of most residents in Dayton.

You may already know that this trial becomes quite a big deal, drawing journalists from all over the country along with many prominent experts including Clarence Darrow, the chief attorney representing Scopes, and William Jennings Bryan, former populist presidential candidate and chief attorney defending the Butler Act.

It's both fun and fascinating to watch how these small town residents change as the trial unfolds. Generally everyone pulls together in preparation, opening their homes to strangers, and creating merchandise to sell. But the trial doesn't unfold quite the way people expect. Some journalists are biased and not always clear about what information is on the record versus what's off the record. Friendships and marriages are tested as tensions increase. And no one is more affected than Annabel, whose husband winds up on the defense team.

I found this trial a wonderful subject for a historical novel and Lisa Grunwald has done a good job imagining how Dayton was likely affected by the trial. And it gave me a glimpse into small town life in Prohibition era America. A very interesting chapter in United States history.

[Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 1925, 25 year-old Annabel Craig is a newly married woman living in her hometown of Dayton, Tennessee. After a blissful childhood on a strawberry farm, she was orphaned at 16, but courageously made her way in the world by seeking employment at the Aqua Hotel. On a hot summer day, she meets her future husband, George Craig, at a local pond. He's been watching her for weeks as she stands on the side, never having learned to swim. George coaxes her in and tells her "I've got you," and thus their courtship begins.

George is an attorney who has just moved down from Chattanooga to practice law at a local firm. An orphan himself, he and Annabel seem to be kindred spirits, and George, at first, is a supportive and encouraging husband.

However, after a trial George wins that results in devastating consequences, George retreats within himself leaving Annabel to question the man she thought she knew.

When the Scopes "Monkey" Trial comes to town, George seems to become his old self and secures a spot on the defense team of acclaimed attorney Clarence Darrow.

As the trial unfolds, Annabel will again question her feelings about her husband and begin to see that there is a place for the teachings of evolution and creationism to exist together.

I really liked Annabel's character. She was a woman who realized her worth as a homemaker and in the wake of the trial that upset her hometown, she also realized there was a whole world that she needed to explore. I Iiked that she didn't cower to George or anyone else.

Lisa Grunwald's writing style was lovely as well. One passage I highlighted was: "When you grow up on a strawberry farm, you probably always miss the smell too--the sweetness that, even before the fruit blooms, seems to sit like a mist on the air."

For those of you who like Southern fiction and/or historical fiction, put this on the top of your list!

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and Netgalley for an ARC ebook edition of this heartfelt novel.

[Chris O'neill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book and was unexpectedly delighted by it!
It was so well written in regards to characters, time, place and situation, I don’t remember learning about the Scopes trial and this took me on a fictional journey that lead me to do more research and learn more about it.
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and of course the author Lisa Grunwald for opportunity to read a draft of his novel,
I sincerely hope we learn more in a sequel about the continuing adventures of Annabel Craig.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! Lisa Grunwald has, once again, created such a memorable cast of characters as she brings the story of the Scopes "Monkey" trial vividly to life. The author has created quite an amazing main character in Annabel Craig to explore the world at the time of the trial Orphaned at a young age, Annabel has her own evolution throughout the book as she questions both what her beliefs are and what her own life journey should be. She, as well as the character Lottie, are strong female characters, searching for a new definition of what it means to be a woman. The Scopes trial has always been a fascination of mine, as it was a pivotal moment in the search for the truth of how mankind came to be. The truth behind how the trial actually came to be was a revelation of facts I had not previously known. I found the book to be totally absorbing and it kept my attention from beginning to end! A thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for my advance copy. The opinions of the review are my own.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley.
Annabel becomes orphaned as a teenager and her belief in God is what helps her survive. She marries young and realizes that all the world does not believe as she does (including her own husband). Her beliefs are tested and evolve as the world converges on Dayton, TN in 1925 for the Scopes Evolution case. Annabel is an interesting character and I like that she's not afraid to push her boundaries as she realizes that a whole world is out there of people with different belief systems.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF, I gave it 40% but didn’t feel like investing any more time. Maybe another time.

[Debbi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Evolution of Annabel Craig is well titled! A wonderful story of a young woman's self discovery during the time of the Scopes "Monkey" trial, it's timely in so many ways. A small conservative town, the inhabitants of Dayton, TN are forced to examine their beliefs and views in the light of modern science. Annabel has lived in Dayton her whole life. Married to George, an attorney from a big city (Knoxville, which to Annabel is a big city), Annabel is forced to confront the beliefs she has held her entire life when a local teacher is charged for teaching evolution in his classroom. As the trial pits neighbor against neighbor, there are unanticipated and tragic consequences to the increasingly bitter and personal divide. When the big guns come to town for the trial (William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow), it becomes a battle between faith and science. Annabel is forced to confront her own beliefs as the trial increasingly impacts her and those around her, and this is what leads to the evolution of Annabel.

Thought provoking, poignant and compelling, I was immediately captivated by Annabel and her journey from naive country girl to thoughtful, discerning woman, as she learns to think and speak up for herself in a challenging time and against entrenched and demeaning norms. A five star read!

[Debra Pawlak · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advance reading copy (arc) of this book from NetGalley.com and the publisher in exchange for a fair review. This book started off on a real high note. The main character, Annabel Craig, is a small town girl in 1925. She lost both of her parents and eventually married a local lawyer, George, who often looked down upon her. Growing up and remaining in Dayton, Tennessee, she found her town in the middle of controversy when teacher John Scopes was put on trial for teaching his students about evolution. His methods challenged the die-hard Christian population and put the town on the map when Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan arrived to take part in the trial. Annabel is a likeable character and when she befriends a female reporter, Lottie Nelson, who shows her that there is more to life than cooking, cleaning, and waiting on George. I thoroughly enjoyed the first two-thirds of the book and then the story kind of petered out for me. I know a little bit about the Scopes trial, but not a whole lot. It was an interesting backdrop for the story. Annabel's own evolution parallelled the trial--a very unique way of storytelling, I thought. The last third of the book, however, just didn't seem to have the same impact as the first part. I lost interest in the story and my investment in the characters. Maybe it was just me. I don't know, but I would recommend giving this book a try. See what you think!

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Annabel Hays Craig is a newly married young women, living along with her attorney husband in Dayton, Tennessee when a local teacher is arrested for teaching Darwin's theory of evolution in his high school science classes, in 1925. As the trial advances, Annabel begins to question everything in her life she has taken for granted--her faith, her community, her friendships, even her marriage. This author uses the very personal transformation in a young woman's thinking to tell the story of this historic trial.
I was fascinated with this story. Both William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow are utilized as the story unfolds, using the roles they played in the actual trial. Sadly this book reminds me of conflicts that not only exist but seem to be increasing today, almost a hundred years later, over how science is both taught and supported within our communities, as well as what books are to be banned from our schools and public libraries. This story is both enjoyable and thought provoking, and at times a reflection of current times as well as past. Another reminder, when we don't study history we may be bound to repeat it's errors. This was a 4.5 read for me.

[Tami · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was really looking forward to this latest novel by Lisa Grunwald. Right from the start I was hooked on Annabel’s life story and what the future held for her. I was thinking this would be a light-hearted read, but often times it was not.

Annabel is fortunate to find a successful lawyer husband in George Craig and things were going well in the marriage, until George’s career hits a snag and Annabel’s eyes are opened to the fact that George doesn’t do well in times of stress.

Eventually George rallies and becomes involved in a case about the theory of evolution being taught in schools. During his time on the case it comes to light that George and Annabel are at odds on religion and its importance in their lives.

I was really enjoying reading this, but near the end, I grew weary of the “experts” and the lawyers and all the other characters’ opinions on the topic. It reminded me somewhat of many issues we face today.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Random House for allowing me to read an advance copy and give my honest review. I am happy to give my honest review about the book and recommend to other readers.

[Julie Fischer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting historical fiction novel based on the scopes trial of 1925, evolution vs.the Bible. Annabel Craig is a young bride witnessing the trial in her small Southern town. The trial shakes up the beliefs she grew up with and challenges the life she thought she wanted.
History repeats itself and I couldn’t help but compare it to the divisions our country faces today. I especially liked the character of Lottie, an independent, female reporter and the friendship she has with Annabel.
I enjoyed this book and recommend it.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent novel of the life-altering summer of a young woman in Tennessee. Annabel Craig of Dayton is just a regular married woman who goes to church & wants to have a happy life. As the the Scopes trial questioning the teaching of evolution in schools begins to play out in her town, she is forced to face her beliefs & the beliefs of others. This is a deeply personal story played out against the stage of a history-making event & it's good historical fiction. I really enjoyed listening to her story & seeing how she evolves over the novel.