Books by Dorothea: REVIEW - The Evolution of Annabel Craig ebook

The Evolution of Annabel Craig by Lisa Grunwald (ebook)

OVERVIEW

This lovely book is about a young woman, Annabel, who goes through a lot in a very short period. The novel primarily takes place while the Scopes Trial takes occurs in Dayton, Tennessee in 1925. Annabel just happens to be born, raised, and married in Dayton so she is part of the entire trial experience and community in Dayton.

The novel covers Annabel's early life, the death of her parents, her marriage to George, and the aftermath of the Scopes Trial. The characters in the book include many people from the town of Dayton and many from various parts of the United States for the trial. It was fascinating to think of all of these educated, influential, opinionated people in one tiny town in the mountains of Tennessee for a really unimportant trial.

This novel is about the town's leaders setting up John Scopes to be the fall guy about teaching evolution to bring a "big" trial to Dayton. The thought was that it would increase visibility, tourism, and money to the small town. Unfortunately, the trial did not accomplish what was expected.

OVERALL REVIEW: 4.0 stars

Writing: 4.0 stars

The writing was very easy to read. I liked the writing but didn't love it, unfortunately. Thankfully, it was not full of legalese which I appreciated as the setting of the story was the Scopes Trial. Obviously, a lot of research went into researching Dayton, Tennessee, and the Scopes Trial which shows in the writing.

Character development: 3.5 stars

There are two main characters - Annabel and George who are married. We learn a lot about Annabel and her life before meeting George. Unfortunately, we don't learn much about George, and that is what bothers me about the character development. Some of the things that George does, unfortunately, do not make sense, especially for an educated man like him who is an attorney.

The secondary characters are the people of Dayton, the members of the bar who are involved in the case, and the journalists covering the trial. There are so many characters that at times, it is hard to keep track of them all.

The tertiary character is the Scopes Trial. It must have been agonizing to have to wait for radio or newspaper reports instead of hearing about it in real time which we can do now on our cell phones.

Storyline: 4.0 stars

This historical novel is all about the relationship between Annabel and George with the Scopes Trial changing their lives forever. I am not sure that there was enough for the final ending to happen due to the societal pressures of the time. It is interesting to think about though.

The main locations were Chattanooga and Dayton, Tennessee.

Memorable/Informative: 4.0 stars

This novel is very timely because so much of what happened in 1925 is now again happening almost one hundred years later. We have the rise of conservatism and religious belief versus modernism and science. It is terrifying that we are reliving all of this again. When will we learn?

Book cover: 4.0 stars

Very pretty.

Book title: 5.0 stars

Perfection!

DEFINITE recommend

EBOOK DETAILS

NetGalley ARC (ebook) via Book Club Girl

The Evolution of Annabel Craig by Lisa Grunwald

320 pages

Random HouseBook Club Girl

Release date of 04/16/2024

INFORMATIONAL LINKS