The Evolution of Annabel Craig

Praise

“Beloved author Lisa Grunwald puts readers in the center of the real-life trial that divided a town and captivated a nation. Sensitive, poignant, and full of heart, this is a tale that feels both important and inevitable. We all studied the Scopes Trial in school, but Grunwald’s retelling is stunningly timely and relevant for today.”—Allison Pataki, New York Times bestselling author of The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post

“Lisa Grunwald is a national treasure and The Evolution of Annabel Craig is proof. Annabel, the voice of this splendid novel, is feisty, curious, and a survivor. When the historic Scopes Trial unfolds in her hometown, Dayton, Tennessee, her citizens, or Annabel will never be the same. When Annabel’s beliefs are challenged and her faith in love is tested, she finds her truth. This is an essential American story from a master craftsman.”—Adriana Trigiani, author of The Good Left Undone

“Lisa Grunwald has created a luminous heroine in Annabel Craig, a woman finding her way in a fast-changing world, forced to question everything she loves and stands for, from her choice of a husband to her spiritual beliefs. Eerily resonant in today’s troubled times, this is a magnificent, page-turning story full of heart and bursting with empathy.”—Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Spectacular

“Engaging fiction about minds actually being changed by a landmark 1925 courtroom culture clash over science and religion set in a small Southern town and covered by the nation’s media. This is timely and hopeful.”—Edward J. Larson, Pulitzer Prize– winning author of Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America’s Continuing Debate Over Science and Religion
 
“Layered and timely . . . Grunwald provides vivid depictions . . . as well as a nuanced and well-rounded view. With book bans and anti-trans legislation tearing apart school districts, Grunwald’s evenhanded historical speaks volumes to the present day.”—Publishers Weekly

“Grunwald wisely tells the story from the perspective of an older Annabel, reflecting her own evolution. . . . Sure to be a book-club favorite as well as a gentle corrective to our current polarized culture.”—Booklist

“Grunwald’s research is admirable . . . and Annabel offers some important insights: ‘Women made the small decisions and men made the big ones. The small decisions often had the biggest consequences.’”— Kirkus Reviews