I read books in so many genres but historical fiction is one of my very favorites. If the story captures my imagination then I tend to do a deep dive into the actual historical events. This book was set in Tennessee before and during the infamous Scopes trial in 1925. Almost everyone in the US has probably heard of the trial but only in a very superficial way. I found the book fascinating. And although the book clearly pits evolution against religion, it’s clear that the writer is cleverly referring to today’s culture wars too. I totally enjoyed the book And I am pretty sure there will be a sequel since Annabell has more to explore and more growing to do. Loved the book.

This book was many things - enlightening, entertaining, eye-opening, and thought-provoking. Centering on the infamous Scopes Trial, Grunwald presented the story of Annabel Craig - wife to one of Scope's attorneys. Through the eyes of Annabel Craig, readers see a behind-the-scenes glimpse not only of the political/religious turmoil of the case, but also the personal journey of one woman in realizing her own inner strength.
Part romance, part tragedy, and part discovery, the Evolution of Annabel Craig will make you think, grieve, and cheer.
I received this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I love the concept of this book, but I failed to be captivated. There’s a lot of rote telling, and it didn’t give me a real sense of place beyond telling me “it was this year and this happened.”

Set in Dayton, Tennessee in 1925, The Evolution of Annabel Craig centers around a young woman who is married to one of the defense team lawyers during the Scopes Trial. Lisa Grunwald has written a story that masterfully weaves the historically correct tale of this very important legal battle with the story of a young woman growing into herself as a woman during an era that did not see women as capable of being more than a wife and mother. Annabel also struggles with the issues at the core of the court case, having been brought up in a strictly Methodist home and community.

I found the historical aspect of the story extremely interesting, especially since while I was vaguely aware of the Scopes Trial and the issues, I have really only learned the most basic information about the case. The story of Annabel and George, along with the reporter, Lottie, who stayed with them during the trial, added a depth to the story and several perspectives to the trial that made it truly come alive. The author portrayed the numerous differing viewpoints, as well as the courtroom antics in a story that was quite entertaining.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for the digital ARC of The Evolution of Annabel Craig. The opinions in this review are my own.

Annabel is orphaned at 16 and marries George at 22. His first words to her were "I got you." Annabel has a strong faith and when George is on the defense team for the Scopes Monkey trial. A reporter is staying with them during the trial, a young woman, Lottie, who expands Annabel's view of the world and her own.

When I think of the old south I think of Dayton. People being neighborly and helping each other. A slow kind of existence with strawberry farms and churches. But when the Scopes trial starts and George is on Darrow's defense team important things in her life are questioned, her faith and her marriage. I was struck by how neither side was willing to listen to the other and it mad me sad that all the care for a neighbor could be eliminated due to a difference in beliefs.

I really liked Annabel and her neighbor, Mercy. I wish I knew more of George's background as a way to understand why he did the things that he did.

I really enjoyed this and would recommend it as a part of history that I didn't know much about.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for providing me with a digital copy.

Author of such previous novels as Time After Time and The Theory of Everything, Lisa Grunwald has turned her attention to the famous 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial in which science is pitted against religious faith in largely Fundamentalist Christian Dayton, Tennessee.

Like most of the residents, protagonist Annabel has been brought up to accept the Bible as Truth, a book to live by, never to question. She has also been taught that a woman’s proper role is as wife and mother. Orphaned at sixteen and moving to a boarding house and working in a hotel, Annabel quickly falls for George Craig, a young lawyer who has moved from Chattanooga to work for a small Dayton law firm where he believes he can quickly work his way up, but marital bliss and courtroom success prove more complicated than Annabel and George anticipate.

With chapters devoted to their early months together, some townsmen read the news that the ACLU is seeking a test case to try to defeat Tennessee’s recent Butler Act, which enshrines the creation story in Genesis and forbids the teaching of evolution. These men persuade Coach John Snopes, who briefly substituted in a biology class, to become that test case. As George Craig aspires to defend John Scopes, much of Dayton turns against both George and wife Annabel. Grunwald’s research enables her to bring frenzied Dayton to life as it prepares for the trial that pits “believers” against “infidels.”

As journalists, experts planning to testify in defense of evolution, and famed lawyers Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan descend on Dayton, the town and its residents will never be quite the same again. Journalist H. L. Mencken will ignite the atmosphere with his published descriptions of the townsfolk. Journalist Lottie Nelson will take Annabel under her wing, appointing her Lottie’s photographer, and Annabel will find herself privy to both sides of the case well before the trial opens.

Grunwald makes a clever choice to portray her main character’s evolution at the very place and time that Darwinian evolution goes on trial. The Evolution of Annabel Craig is a an attention-holding story but a somewhat puzzling one. The evolution debate was far from settled at the trial in Dayton, and although Annabel evolves, I am left feeling she still has far to go. Here and there, Annabel hints at future events, some of which have not come to pass as the novel ends. This fact leaves me wondering if Grunwald will write a sequel. Most of Annabel’s life lies ahead.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for an advance reader copy of this well-researched and enjoyable new novel from Lisa Grunwald.

Reviewed on GoodReads and Barnes & Noble.

Thank you Random House for the review copy! I liked but didn't love this one, a lot of the themes about women's voice, self growth and the placement of the story within the Scopes trial all worked for me. I really loved that this story played with the idea/word of evolution for the main character but also within the story of the trial and the religious perspective versus the legal story/science perspective. I was hooked for a good part of the beginning but for me at times the writing felt a little stiff, a little more message/tell the reader what is happening versus lead the messages come through the story being told.

The Evolution of Annabel Craig by Lisa Grunwald is a captivating work of fiction that delves into the transformation of minds during a pivotal 1925 courtroom clash between science and religion in a small Southern town, which garnered national media attention. This novel is both timely and inspiring, offering a unique perspective on the intersection of faith and reason.

Don't judge this book by its cover, as I mistakenly did; it is much more serious than the cover seems to portray.

This book was an interesting look at the Scopes Monkey Trial. It shows how the small town of Dayton, Tennessee, coped with this so-called crime of teaching/mentioning evolution in the classroom. It also deals with a husband and wife who inevitably get caught up in this trial -he, because he is a lawyer, and she, because she is talked into taking photographs of the trial.

The book starts out quite depressing, with a lot of tragedy in Annabel's life, and at times, it gets even worse than it was at the beginning.

It was an interesting look at how many people looked at education vs. religion at the time.

It was a little too religious for me, but it was a fascinating book nonetheless.

*ARC was supplied by the publisher, the author, and NetGalley.

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!

Spectacular!
I really enjoyed this historical fiction. I’m a huge fan of the musical Thoroughly Modern Millie, that takes place in the same time period and is also a story of female empowerment. That’s what initially drew me to the story, but I stayed for the drama. This was such an emotional story of a woman finding her voice at a time when women were expected to be seen not heard, homemakers, just something to be owned. Annabel breaks through her gender norms, and religion to stand up for her beliefs despite the consequences. This was beautifully written about true events, with such great care and research.

🐒 Book Review 🐒

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for an arc in exchange for my honest review.

Publication: April 16, 2024

Rating: ➖

Time of Death: 15%

Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres, however, it does need to follow a certain formula for me to be immersed.

I really enjoy being thrown in and shown the historical events so that I have a deeper emotional connection.

Unfortunately, this ended up being a DNF for me. All the pieces were there to hook me in but the writing style and lack of “show” made this dry and tough.

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.

The Scopes trial has impacts on a Tennessee town, questioning the Bible supporters vs those wanting to teach evolution. This causes friction between the townspeople and especially a couple on opposing sides.

The Evolution of Annabel Craig is a fictional telling of the 1925 Scopes Trial from the perspective of a young woman whose viewpoint is influenced by her religious beliefs; her husband's secular beliefs; her neighbors' opinions; the prosecution's presentations; and the scientific information she learns from secular scholars who come to Tennessee to testify on behalf of the defense. The book's title is a play on the word evolution: (1) how Annabel perceives Charles Darwin's theory of evolution and (2) Annabel's development and growth as an independent thinker. Well-written. Kept my attention throughout.

I loved this book about a woman on the periphery of the Scopes trial in 1925 small-town Tennessee. Annabel is a sheltered, church-going young woman who has never questioned her faith. Her husband is a lawyer and more forward thinking, but their relationship becomes rocky when a case he had worked on takes a tragic turn. When the town leaders decide they want to put their town on the map by testing the new Tennessee law banning the teaching of evolution, journalists and onlookers descend upon the small town. In the course of the hoopla surrounding the trial, Annabel slowly begins to question everything about her life and her beliefs, blossoming in wonderful ways. Annabel is such a well-written character, and I loved learning more about this slice of history. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for a digital ARC.

In 1925 Tennessee passed a law banning the teaching of evolution, called the Butler Act. John T. Scopes was arrested for teaching Charles Darwin's theory of evolution at the local high school. In response the ACLU sent in their best, Attorney Clarence Darrow and pitted him against local Attorney William Jennings Bryan. Lisa Grunwald use the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial as the foundation for her novel, The Evolution of Annabel Craig. It is the story about how this time in history challenges the lives of Annabel and George Craig during a time of loss and grief now having the additional stain placed on their marriage when George as an attorney in Dayton joins the defense team for John Scopes. It is a story about this deeply religion woman and an event that gets Annabel reassessing her marriage, faith, and life. Is this George the George she thought she married? It gets Annabel to look closely at not only her husband but her neighbors, the towns people and how religion vs science divides this small town of Dayton, Tennessee.

What threw me with this book was the cover. I initially thought it was going to be a happy-go-luck story about a young woman coming-of-age at the beginning of the Prohibition era – it was not. The Evolution of Annabel Craig is well written and the research Lisa Grunwald put into the story is quite evident. She cleverly combines real people from a historical event with fictional characters, however I did feel it bogged down somewhat in the middle.

Thank you, Lisa Grunwald, Random House and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This novel is due to be released on April 16, 2024.

Being present at an historical event can change a person. Here is the story of a small town sheltered woman present at the Scopes Monkey trial and how it changed her.

The Butler Act, made teaching the theory of evolution illegal, had just been passed and the town of Dayton, Tennessee talked John Scopes into challenge this law. This wasn’t some ideological challenge, this was out of greed for what this circus trial could bring to the town.

The town got way more than they bargained for including mockery from a national press who painted the two factions as Science v God.

Annabel Craig who is the heroine of this story and I endlessly cheered for her. She did what we all should do when we learn new things…she evolved.

This was my first Lisa Grunwald book and I was truly impressed by her writing and storytelling abilities. I will be reading more from this talented writer.

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.

The Evolution of Annabel Craig tells a fictionalized version of The Scopes Monkey Trial. The perspective is told a young, southern, married woman, whose husband views the case from an opposing view. The novel is well-researched and compelling. There is more to this historical novel than the theory of evolution, but it also tells of the story of women evolving during a pivotal time in history. I must admit that when I was reading the book, my mind kept going back to the 1960 movie, "Inherit the Wind". Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC!