Thank you to Netgalley for this e- copy of The Evolution of Annabel Craig by Lisa Grunwald in exchange for a honest review. This is a well researched book about a young woman named Annabel Craig who is married to a lawyer named George. They live a peaceful existence in Dayton , Tennessee until the Scopes Monkey Trial comes to town in 1925. George joins the defense team of Clarence Darrow and everything that Annabel holds dear is upended- she suffers a miscarriage, and she realizes that the man she married isn’t the person he appeared to be . It is set in a time where women’s’ opinions weren’t valued and through her hardships Annabel transforms herself into an independent, self-supporting , strong woman .

I was not sure what to expect with this book but I was pleasantly surprised. I did not know a lot about the Scopes trial in the 1920's, but the author did a great job of balancing both sides of the story. The balance between science and religion is managed well in this book. I enjoyed the characters as well. They had a good story along with the story of the trial. This could be set today and hold the same importance as it did then. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC of this book.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you NetGalley and Random House for this advanced copy.

I don’t even remember what drew me to request this book at first, but by the time I started reading it, I had no idea what the story was about. I went in completely blind.Once I realized it was a historical fiction novel based in rural Tennessee, I was intrigued. Then, when I learned it was about the infamous 1925 Scopes Trial, I needed to know more — what was the Scopes Trial about exactly?! *I couldn’t remember.* Finally, I realized the story was based on the true legal battle regarding teaching Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution in the public schools system. By then … I. WAS. HOOKED!

I paired reading the physical copy with listening to the audiobook, and I jotted down so many notes while I was listening. Here are a few of the moments that intrigued me or caught my attention.

**SLIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD**

- I found it interesting that women joined “canning clubs” as a way to gain independence and earn the ability to do things on their own — away from their husbands oversight. I loved their motto too: “See how we CAN.”
- I didn’t remember the extreme magnitude of The Spanish Flu; it killed some 50 million people!
- The main character, Annabel, grew up on a strawberry farm until 16 years go age when her parents died. I’ve never read a book that featured the kind of farm that feels THAT wholesome.
- I don’t remember where this quote is located in the book, but I do remember dying laughing — “I thought I looked like a russet potato!” — Oh, is that relatable or what?!
- Annabel likes the “care-taking trope” more than I do. She hears, “I’ve got you!” one time, and then she’s married 3 months later!!
- I love serendipitous moments — such as a 4th of July reference in the story as I was reading it on the 4th of July.
- There were a lot of characters and until you learned them all, it was hard to remember IF or WHY they were important. I loved how the author wrote into the story ways to gently remind the reader which characters were tied to which occurrences. It was so helpful to me!

If any of the above notes appeal to you, I think you will also enjoy this book.

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.

"The Evolution of Annabel Craig by Lisa Grunwald" was nothing like I was expecting it to be; it was better. Set in the heart of the bible-belt in 1920s Tennessee, Annabel Craig, nee Hayes, embarks on a journey of her own evolution, while her husband, George supports the defense team in the Scopes trail.

For a Historical Fiction, the novel does a fascinating job showcasing the character development for our small-town residents. Annabel starts off as the supportive housewife, slightly ashamed her husband was assigned to the defense in fear of what her neighbors may think. However, she soon meets Lottie Nelson, a reporter from Chattanooga, who shows her women can be more than just homemakers - and recruits Annabel use her camera to take photos of the trail.

Grunwald delivery and writing allowed the divisive topic to easily digested. Threw Annabel's eyes what little memory I had left regarding the Scopes trail from AP US History, was quickly jog awake; as I was reminded of one of the first true tests in America regarding the separation of church and state.

Wow this book really pulls at the heartstrings a little because of the faith element. As a lawyer, you have to defend your client based on law etc. and you can't allow personal feelings and or beliefs into it. This book really had me and it's well written. I really enjoyed it and I would read this author again.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advance read copy of this book. This is an historical fiction book based upon the John Scopes trials. I love historical fiction because it opens me up to things that I didn't previously know. The John Scopes trial was about the right to teach evolution in schools versus creation.

Side note - It's amazing that 100 years later we are still having similar discussions.

This story follows the wife of one of John Scopes' attorneys. It shows her path from a simple farm girl to someone who stands up for her self. And not in big ways. In realistic, small actions that demonstrate great growth.

It's a beautiful story of a woman finding strength within herself. I definitely recommend this story to people who support strong woman and their journeys to do great things.

I’m so glad I read this. I vaguely knew what the Scopes trial was, but this book gave me a thorough look at it. The trial was undertaken in order to get publicity for the small Tennessee town. The reference to evolution in the textbook cited was minimal and quite generalized.

At the center of the story is a young woman married to one of the attorneys. Her role becomes increasingly complex as she gradually comes in to her own.

It was shocking at how little has changed about education in the past century. The constant battle between knowledge and religion is ongoing. The separation of church and state is important and ignored by so many. Knowing things simply does not contradict faith.

The Evolution of Annabel Craig was my first novel by Lisa Grunwald and I really enjoyed this book! It a story of self-discovery about Annabel Craig, a "good Christian woman," whose faith and beliefs are tested when her husband becomes one of the attorneys defending John Scopes after he is arrested for teaching evolution in the state of Tennessee during the 1920s.

This is my favorite kind of historical fiction, in that it is based on a story with which we are all (hopefully) familiar: the Scopes Trial. However, I think most of us, myself included, do not know the nitty-gritty details of this important moment in history. Grunwald seeks to explain and highlight how it remains relevant in today's political climate by showing us the personal evolution of the story's protagonist. Like many of her friends and neighbors, Annabel fears change, so she is resistant to opening her mind and heart to new ideas and ways of living. I appreciated how the growth in Annabel is handled while she remains true to herself and her faith. It is sad that 100 years later, we are still dealing with those who seek to oppress others and stalwart progress due to the same ideologies featured in this story.

"Some changes cannot be missed: the vivid flowerings of summer, the fallow fields of winter. Others require a keen eye: the color of a strawberry when it's nearly too ripe; the confidence of a small child conquering her first staircase; a man who's lost his faith in himself; a woman who's gained hers. I did not know, in the robust heat of that summer of 1925, which changes mattered most. I simply wanted to fear none of them."

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Random House Publishing Group for the arc to review!

I was a huge fan of Lisa Grunwald's Time After Time and was so excited to be approved for an ARC of The Evolution of Annabel Craig, an incredibly timely story.

My favorite way to study history is by way of historical fiction. I really enjoyed the historical background of the Scopes trial and watching Annabel grow into a strong and wise character. It was a reminder that science and religion can coexist.

This book was beautifully written, thoroughly researched, and an important read for our time.

Thank you to @netgalley and @randomhouse for the advanced copy of this book.

The Evolution of Annabel Craig is set down south in the early to mid 1920s, and reflects the simple times and simple themes of the salt-of-the-earth people that Annabel’s life touched. Until, one day, in a ploy to drive some publicity and tourism to Dayton, Tennessee, the townsfolk made a substitute teacher the stoolie to dispute the Butler Act. It turns out that the Butler Act prevents teaching evolution, preferring to keep the schoolchildren ignorant to that concept, and instead focusing their education and faith centered around the church. John Scopes agreed to say that he taught evolution one day while he was substituting in a Dayton classroom, and they were off to the races. Of course this had almost nothing to do with John Scopes and everything to do with juxtaposition of long-standing beliefs and science, each side thinking the other is fundamentally incorrect. Lisa Grunwald did a fantastic job through the prose, pacing, wording, dialogue and descriptions of putting you in that place and time, with all the emotions that come along. At times I thought the story was too focused on religion and Annabel’s adherence to her faith, the way she saw many things through the veil of religion and belief; but then I understood that was very intentional to drive home how important religion was for the community, especially given the failure of the schools to teach or talk about anything else. I didn’t know much about The Monkey Trials before this book and I found all the facets of this book’s explanation to be utterly fascinating.

THE EVOLUTION OF ANNABEL CRAIG by Lisa Grunwald has a beautiful, eye-catching cover, but this work of historical fiction moves slowly. In the first third of the book, readers meet insecure Annabel, orphaned at age 16 due to the 1918 flu epidemic and recently married to a young lawyer named George Craig. Sadly, he, too, loses his nerve after one of his acquitted clients commits a horrific murder. George is reinvigorated by the thought of working on the Scopes trial and Grunwald cleverly incorporates historic characters like William Jennings Bryan, H. L. Mencken, and Clarence Darrow. She even places Annabel in the courtroom due to her interest in photography. With parallels to today on issues like media coverage, book bans, or the debate between science and religion (according to the author, twenty states currently permit teaching creationism alongside evolution), THE EVOLUTION OF ANNABEL CRAIG poses interesting questions for book clubs, if readers can stay engaged. However, I would also suggest reading Monkey Town by Ronald Kidd. Although written for a young adult audience, it is excellent (starred reviews from Horn Book and Kirkus) and would be of interest to anyone who is curious about this time period (1925) and the Scopes Trial.

3.5 stars

This is a captivatingly layered book, well written and completely absorbing.
I've never really paid much attention to what led up to the Scopes Trial back in 1925 and the defense of the Butler Act which was basically not allowing evolution to be taught in Tennessee schools. Holding onto the belief of creationism, the concept that something other than God created man was blasphemous and sinful to those of this small town of Dayton, Tennessee and during one hot, lazy summer day, a few men, bored and looking to stir up some business in their sleepy town, sat in a drug store called Robinson's and conceived the idea to bring a new biology teacher to the court's attention for failure to abide by the Butler Act. This case became known nationwide as the Scopes Monkey trial and brought to town big hitters in the legal world including William Jennings Bryan and Charles Darwin. What was on trial was the bible and Christianity vs. the concept that man descended from prehistoric animals. Press corps descended on the town as well with fierce reporting, for and against which stirred people of all opinions around the country.
The story is told by fictional Annabel Craig whose husband and lawyer George ultimately became part of the case. Theirs was a new marriage and she was smitten by the way he cared for her, called her cute nicknames and wanted for them to have a family. She had been orphaned at age 16 and lived on her own in a boarding house until her marriage. She had only a few female influences to know how to be a wife but she always had her strong faith. George was a college educated man who had a more worldly outlook of the world. He wanted to make it in the law firm he worked for and took on a case involving a husband who killed the man his wife was in a tryst with. The backlash of what came afterwards sends George spiraling and for a year, he and his wife are essentially roommates. The Scopes trial suddenly pulls George from his depression and she sees the man who she used to know as her husband but in that year, Annabel was growing, but not with him. She became a amateur photographer and with reporter Lottie Nelson who boarded in their home for the trial, she went to court to capture the moments there. Meantime, George's enthusiasm for defending Scopes himself, their views of life became challenged and Annabel began to question everything she has always thought was the truth. George became less tolerant of her "hick" thinking and things in their marriage go from not great to even worse. But this will not sway Annabel because now she knows who she can be and isn't afraid to go on her own to find out; her growth is a wonder to see.
Annabel is challenged by what she is hearing in the courtroom by many learned men in the science fields and this confuses her quite a bit. But when she knows that her marriage is not going to last, she compares that science to explain that "how some types of rocks lasted longer than other, but how when the water got into crevices and froze, it could, over time break any rock apart." @76%
The characters were so well written and believable, and the story so well researched. Annabel is a memorable character. For anyone who enjoys historical fiction, this is a must read!
I didn't think the cover art worked for the story. It was too cartoonish and seemed more like the story would be more whimsical. It is anything but!

I am sorry for the inconvenience but I don’t have the time to read this anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.

During the 1925 Scopes Trial in Dayton, Tennessee, the southern small town mind is put to a test by deciding which is "right", evolution or the Bible? And can you open your mind enough to listen to both sides. George Craig, an outsider marries Annabel, born and raised her entire life in Dayton. She is a product of the times - house wife, home maker, obedient to a fault. Her husband is a lawyer who takes on the defense of John Scopes and the Butler Act which means evolution is not allowed to be taught in public schools per Tennessee. The trial gains country wide recognition and when scientist and big city folk show up, how well would you do to open your ears to another perspective?

I love reading historical fiction because I always find myself pausing to google some of the real life characters. I had no idea about the Scopes Monkey Trial. Totally fascinating to read as a northeasterner.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

Thank you to Penguin Random House and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of The Evolution of Annabel Craig by Lisa Grunwald. I really enjoyed learning about this piece of history that I hadn't read anything about before. I found the story to be too detailed in some parts and other parts needed more. Overall it was an entertaining and fast paced read.

Although set in the 1920s this book couldn’t be more relevant to many of the political issues we are facing today. The struggle between religion and science is reflected in the relationship of Annabel and her lawyer husband George. Darrow’s response to fellow lawyer Bryan towards the end of the book..”we have the purpose of preventing bigots and ignoramuses from controlling the education of the United States” couldn’t sum it up any better. Annabel’s evolution was wonderful to read as she worked towards reconciling her faith with her knowledge. I have to admit it was a slow burn for me, I had trouble getting into this one, but am so glad I kept going.

Annabel has her faith questioned by events that occur in Dayton, Tennessee in 1925. The trial of John Scopes.
By chance she is chosen to be the photographer by one of the reporters. Annie steadfastness to her church's teachings seem to waver as the trial proceeds. She continues in her faith though.
But her three year marriage to an attorney, George, is challenged as he pursues his dream of being famous. George really doesn't consider Annie as anything of import. Annie learns she has value as a photographer.
Read this novel for some interesting takes on womanhood in middle America.

The Evolution of Annabel Craig by Lisa Grunwald is a well written historical fiction by a very talented writer. I enjoyed her Time After Time and I loved the 1960 film, Inherit the Wind. Historical fiction to in first person voice really helps me feel the emotions related to the real and true event. The main character, Annabel, is a fully formed and genuinely good person struggling to find herself and her path at a time in history when young adult women didn’t usually work outside their home or question the beliefs of their husbands. I was rooting for her to find the courage to take care of herself, form her own beliefs and make her own way in the world. Questioning the world she lived in was difficult but so very important.
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Random House for the eARC and the opportunity to read and review The Evolution of Annabel Craig by Lisa Grunwald.
4 Stars- Pub. Date: 4-16-24

Great read. I love historic fiction, and Lisa Grunwald wove an interesting story set in an interesting time in history. I would recommend this book to anyone.