If you enjoy historical fiction based on true events, characters that are interesting and grow throughout the story and strong, persevering women, this is the book you should read! Thanks #NetGalley #RandomHouse #LisaGrunwald

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

This book provides a very insightful view of the famous Scopes trial in Dayton, TN in 1925 when the teaching of evolution was outlawed. The story is told through the eyes of Annabel Craig, a young wife who grew up in the small town. While she was raised in a religious family where their belief in the bible was ingrained, her husband, a lawyer, is more an advocate of science.

When Scopes was put on trial for teaching evolution, George Craig is thrilled to be a part of the defense team with the famous Clarence Darrow. During the trial, her interest in photography grows as she is teamed with a female writer to document the case. As the proceedings progress, Annabel must reevaluate her feelings about evolution and her place in society.

This was an excellent work of historical fiction that brought the long-ago time to life.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC: Very well done historical fiction. The setting is Dayton, TN during the Scopes Trial--where teaching of evolution was prohibited. The protagonist is Annabel Craig who is a slightly naive southern woman who evolves through the process of the trial. Her husband is on the defense and that puts her at odds with her neighbors and friends. It was a compelling story and felt fully realized with excellent character development. Very well done and recommended. I was informed through a well done novel.

I knew from the very beginning that this was going to be a wonderful trip back in time with a favorite author and indeed it is! Lisa Grunwald takes you back to 1925 to a small Tennessee town where nothing ever happens. Nothing happens until the world takes note of a trial about to take place there. We know it as the Scopes Trial. This book presents all the players and townspeople. We learn the workings of the journalists, the ministers and famous politicians as well as judge, jury and lawyers. Reading this book took me back in time and actually into the courtroom for the proceedings. It is told through the life of an ordinary wife of one of the lawyers. She has a love for photography and a female journalist taps her to be her photographer for the proceedings. I love the title of the book because Annabel certainly evolves as the story unfolds. She finds herself question her religious versus scientific beliefs. This book was a joy to read and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves history, women’s rights or just a wonderful story.

I wish to thank NetGalley and Penguin Random House Publishing or allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Fabulous read, and one of my new all-time favorites! Although I remembered hearing about the Scopes “monkey” trial in school years ago and that the famous attorney Clarence Darrow was instrumental in the case, I knew little about the trial itself or the high passions it evoked on both sides. This fascinating book by Lisa Grunwald not only illuminates how the trial came to be in Dayton, Tennessee as the result of a town initiative to attract interest and business, but also how the lead character Annabel Craig expands her thinking from a totally Biblically-centered understanding of creation and female roles in life to a wider perspective. Annabel gradually develops a broader picture of her own life role, talents and possibilities as a photographer, partly as a result of her friendship with journalist Lottie Nelson.

Annabel is married to lawyer George Craig, who becomes a member of Clarence Darrow’s legal team fighting against the Butler Act which bans the teaching of evolution in Tennessee schools, despite the fact that school textbooks already cover it. Clarence Darrow’s team defends John Scopes, a test case who may have taught evolution as a part-time science teacher. Opposing Darrow is the famous William Jennings Bryan, three-time Democratic presidential nominee.

The events relating to the trial itself are engrossing, as are the negative personal effects on George, who gradually draws away from Annie emotionally, first to his ham radio hobby, then to legal discussions with Lottie, who is lodging in their home, and finally when he is vilified by the town as a result of a published article by Lottie.

Ms. Grunwald’s writing is often beautifully descriptive of Annabel’s changing thoughts and feelings, of the landscape around Dayton, and of the practices of the time, such as medical “cupping” to reduce infection, or “old folks” believing photography is sinful

My thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy of this excellent book in return for an honest review..

Four solid stars for a historical fiction book about the Scopes"monkey trial" in 1925 Dayton, Tennessee. The state of Tennessee passed a law in 1925 forbidding the teaching of evolution. The town fathers decided that they could bring a lot of business to the town if they were arrest and try a teacher for breaking this law. They persuade John Scopes, a coach and substitute science teacher, to say that he has taught evolution from the approved science textbook.
The book's title refers to the narrator of the book, Annabel Craig, and how this trial affects her, her marriage and her relationships with her neighbors and friends. Annabel was orphaned at 16, and married George Craig, a college educated lawyer, at 22. I enjoyed this book for how the author brings out different viewpoints and shows the culture wars that are still present in today's United States. Some states now mandate the teaching of "Creationism" or "intelligent design" as acceptable alternatives to Evolution. Some states have now passed book bans, prohibiting school libraries from having books deemed "inappropriate" by self appointed censors, not actual librarians who spend years being trained to select books appropriate for students.
Personally , I believe in science. Two of my three grandchildren have an incurable, terminal disease called Cystic Fibrosis. I hope that science will provide a cure, but I have no objection to those family members who pray for a cure.
One quote: George Craig, Annabel's husband, to Annabel: "He swept his boater from the closet shelf, twirled it around his forefinger, leaned down to kiss me on the lips, and said, 'You know what? You are the squirrel's eyebrows."
Thank You CORINA DIEZ at Penguin Random House for sending me this eARC through NetGalley.
#TheEvolutionofAnnabelCraig #NetGalley.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House for providing me with an advance e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review. Look for it in your local and online bookstores and libraries on April 16, 2024.

Annabel is a young woman, recently married to George Craig, living in Dayton TN in the 1920s during the infamous Scopes Trial. George is a lawyer and ends up joining the defense team for John Scopes. Over the course of the summer, Annabel begins to question her beliefs and what she wants from her life. The book does offer some flashbacks to show that Annabel was a young orphan, losing both of her parents to the Spanish Flu of 1918, but never wavering in her faith prior to her marriage to George. As the author mentions in her acknowledgements, this is a retelling of sorts of The Awakening, but set during the Scopes Trial.
For me, this was both an enjoyable novel, but also a little bit unsatisfying at the same time. It's a coming-of-age story as Annabel grows and develops as a woman and begins to grasp a better understanding of herself and what she wants from her life. The events of the Scopes Trial and the new people and ideas she is presented with do play a part in that, as does her growing understanding of who her husband is as a person once they have moved past the initial honeymoon period. I found the trial itself very interesting, as well as the conflict of opinions that Annabel had to navigate from her neighbors and friends with her husband defending evolution at a time when religious thought was considered more important than science. This leads me to the part that I found unsatisfying, I would have enjoyed learning more about the trial, and felt like it wrapped up very quickly, although that was true to the real-life events. All in all, still an enjoyable read where I learned more about the trial than I had known previously.
Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the electronic ARC of this novel for review.

Annabel Craig lives in Dayton, Tennessee and is married to lawyer George Craig. When George becomes part of the legal team defending John Scopes in the famous Scopes trial about the teaching of evolution vs. creationism, Annabel finds herself, and her camera, as a witness to history.

This story is an incredibly quick read. I liked it, I just didn’t love it.

Themes: 👨‍⚖️🐒

My thoughts: 🙂🙃🤓

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I received this from Netgalley.com.

The first half just dragged and I wanted more of the Scopes aspect and less of Annabel's perspective.

2.25☆

Using the Scopes Trial as the backdrop for the evolution of the main character, Annabel Craig, was a clever and successful choice. Annabel had been raised to believe in God and the Bible and grew up in a town where the authority of the Bible was a given. While she at times wondered why God allowed certain things to happen, she had never thought to question the validity of the Bible. However, the Scopes trial and the resulting debate over religion versus science forced to reconsider what she thought and believed. She met people who were not Christians, learned that there were multiple translations of the Bible, and learned that there was disagreement as to the meaning/translation of certain ancient Hebrew words and phrases. She got to see and hear William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow, two of the most famous men of their times. She met various scientists and scholars who believed in evolution and that schools should be able to teach evolution and other scientific ideas that seemed to conflict with the Bible but that many of these people also believed in God and that religion and science could be compatible. While there were many outsiders who came to Dayton to enjoy the spectacle and mock the "rubes", including prominent journalists and writers such as H.L. Mencken, Annabel discovered that some of the visitors were much more curious and open-minded than the townsfolk with whom she had grown up. More significantly, the trial and the events that surrounded the trial provided Annabel with the opportunity to reconsider and explore her own beliefs about what was "true", including expectations of what women should and can do, the "proper" role of a wife, and what a marriage should be like. She realized all the ways she had changed herself and made herself subservient to her husband, George, but that there was no reciprocity in the relationship -- George had never really respected her or made an effort to understand her.

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.

The Evolution of Annabel Craig is a beautifully written book about the clash of cultures: north and south, faith and science, tradition and modernity. Set during the infamous Scopes trial, Annabel Craig is lifelong resident of Dayton, TN. During the trial, she finds herself in her own kind of trial, testing all that she believed was true. During our own polarizing times, I appreciated that the main character is someone who is willing to listen to both sides of debate and to make her way in a world that is new to her. I love historical fiction, but this book is so much more than that; it is an exploration into evolution of all kinds and, ultimately, a meditation on what makes us human.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC; all opinions are my own.

4.0 stars
DEFINITE recommendation

I received a complimentary Kindle e-book in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. Thank you to Lisa Grunwald, Random House, Book Club Girl, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

This was an interesting story about a woman, Annabel who was drawn into the famous "Scopes Trial" of 1925 in Dayton, Tennessee just because she lived there. Also, her husband, George, was an attorney who represented the defendant against his arrest against the Butler Act which was against teaching evolution in public schools.

The marriage of Annabel and George goes through a lot including the chaos of the Scopes Trial. It was amazing that so many of the things that were on trial were similar to what we are STILL, STILL dealing with today. We just never seem to learn from our history!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read The Evolution of Annabel Craig. This is the story of Annabel's realization of her own beliefs and worth set against the backdrop of the trial of John Scopes. The story is well written and meticulously researched. The charecters are well developed. This is an enjoyable read that you don't want to miss.

Readers get to follow the growth journey of Annabel from her becoming an orphan at age 16 to a devoted wife at age 23 in Dayton, Tennessee in 1925. That is the year that the famous "Scopes Monkey Trial" took place in that small southern town and drew nationwide attention when high powered lawyers William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow squared off in what became an argument between the word of God as written in the Bible and the new science of evolution.
Annabel's husband becomes a part of Darrow's legal team and Annabel's marriage and home life are changed forever. Raised as a good Southern Christian girl, Annabel is now being exposed to more worldly views about the role of women, religion and the promises made in marriage. As her marriage starts to falter and her husband is no longer a man she respects or loves, Annabel must make some hard decisions about her future.
I appreciated the parallel between Annabel's near drowning as a child to her hesitancy as an adult to enter the water to her taking that first step in learning to swim on her own and how her life has developed from a child to an independent woman. Secondary characters and place descriptions are well drawn and paint the picture of small town Southern life in the early 1920s. An interesting perspective on one of the most famous legal cases in U.S. history.

3.9 but leveling up. A very interesting historical fiction novel on the Scopes trial, its impact on the town where it happened as well as its overall impact. Although more fiction than truth, it was a good examination of the factors behind the decision to bring the case, the vivid personalities, particularly of William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow., and the trial itself. I learned a lot about the background and the trial, including the polarization of the two sides of the issue, with eerily similar undertones to what is happening currently. The storyline was good but lacking in credibility in parts although still good. The characters were very well defined. An enjoyable read. Thank you to Netgalley for providing me an advance copy in exchange for a candid and honest review.

The Evolution of Annabel Craig
A Novel
by Lisa Grunwald (This review is based on an ARC sent to me by Net Galley)
This book is a fictionalized account of the Scopes Trial.
(The Scopes Trial, also known as the Scopes Monkey Trial, was the 1925 prosecution of science teacher John Scopes for teaching evolution in a Tennessee public school, which a recent bill had made illegal.)
The trial featured two of the best-known orators of the era, William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow, as opposing attorneys.
Annabel Hayes the main protagonist of the novel
born, baptized, and orphaned in the sleepy conservative town of Dayton, Tennessee—finds herself deeply in love with George Craig, a sophisticated attorney newly arrived from Knoxville, Tennessee.
The strain on their relationship is intensified when John T. Scopes is arrested for teaching Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution at the local high school. The trial is a spectacle that thrusts Dayton into the spotlight as the town is overrun by journalists and when George joins the defense team, Annabel a deeply religious woman starts to question her beliefs and begins to have the courage to think for herself.

Extraordinary and beautifully written. Immaculately researched and rich in detail. I have learned much about the Scopes trial. And all the while I enjoyed the evolution of Annabel.
Many thanks to Random House and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I do love a well-written, well-researched historical fiction novel. In Lisa Grunwald's novel, The Evolution of Annabel Craig, we read about the story of Scopes Trial and the town in which it was held, all tied together with amazing characters, their relationships, and descriptions that take the reader there. This was of particular relevance in light of similar (church/state) issues facing education in our schools today!
Thanks, NetGalley and the publisher, for providing me with the ARC ebook I read and reviewed. All opinions are my own.