Lisa Grunwald

A young Southern woman sets out on a journey of self-discovery as the infamous 1925 Scopes Trial tests her faith and her marriage in this moving novel from the author of Time After Time and The Irresistible Henry House. "Lisa Grunwald is a national treasure. . . . An essential American story from a master craftsman."--Adriana Trigiani, New York Times bestselling author of The Good Left UndoneI had never questioned a miracle, witnessed a gunfight, or seen a dead body. . . . I had thought I knew exactly what I wanted and what I didn't. Before the summer was over, all that and much more would change. Annabel Hayes--born, baptized, and orphaned in the sleepy conservative town of Dayton, Tennessee--is thrilled to find herself falling quickly and deeply in love with George Craig, a sophisticated attorney newly arrived from Knoxville. But before the end of their first year of marriage, their lives are beset by losses. The strain on their relationship is only intensified when John T. Scopes is arrested for teaching Charles Darwin's theory of evolution at the local high school. Foreshadowing today's culture wars, the trial against Scopes is a spectacle unlike any the country has seen. William Jennings Bryan--a revered Southern politician--joins the prosecution, pitting himself and his faith against the renowned defense attorney Clarence Darrow. Journalists descend in a frenzy, thrusting the town and its citizens into the national spotlight. And when George joins the team defending Scopes, Annabel begins to question both her beliefs and her vows. As the ongoing trial divides neighbor against neighbor, it also divides the Craigs in unexpected ways. But in the midst of these conflicts--one waged in an open courtroom, the other behind closed doors--Annabel will discover that the path to her own evolution begins with the courage to think for herself.

A magical love story, inspired by the legend of a woman who vanished from Grand Central Terminal, sweeps readers from the 1920s to World War II and beyond. "Readers who enjoyed Audrey Niffenegger's The Time Traveler's Wife will be enchanted."--Publishers Weekly "I utterly loved this clever, charming, hopeful tale of true love against all odds."--Ariel Lawhon, New York Times bestselling author of I Was Anastasia On a clear December morning in 1937, at the famous gold clock in Grand Central Terminal, Joe Reynolds, a hardworking railroad man from Queens, meets a vibrant young woman who seems mysteriously out of place. Nora Lansing is a Manhattan socialite and an aspiring artist whose flapper clothing, pearl earrings, and talk of the Roaring Twenties don't seem to match the bleak mood of Depression-era New York. Captivated by Nora from her first electric touch, Joe despairs when he tries to walk her home and she disappears. Finding her again--and again--will become the focus of his love and his life. As thousands of visitors pass under the famous celestial blue ceiling each day, Joe and Nora create a life of infinite love in a finite space, taking full advantage of the "Terminal City" within a city. But when the construction of another landmark threatens their future, Nora and Joe are forced to test the limits of their freedom--and their love. Praise for Time After Time "I'll never again set foot in Grand Central Terminal without looking over my shoulder for Nora and Joe, or marveling at the station itself--a backdrop as intriguing as the love story that unfolds beneath its star-studded ceiling."--Georgia Hunter, New York Times bestselling author of We Were the Lucky Ones "In lively prose set against the fascinating history of Grand Central . . . Grunwald asks a compelling question: How long would we stay in one place for love]?"--Time "The spectacular Lisa Grunwald has written a classic story of fate, true love, art, and chance with truth and beauty. You will want to share it with every reader you know."--Adriana Trigiani, New York Times bestselling author of Tony's Wife

In this captivating novel, bestselling author Lisa Grunwald gives us the sweeping tale of an irresistible hero and the many women who love him. In the middle of the twentieth century, in a home economics program at a prominent university, orphaned babies are being used to teach mothering skills to young women. For Henry House, raised in these unlikely circumstances, finding real love and learning to trust will prove to be the work of a lifetime. From his earliest days as a "practice baby" through his adult adventures in 1960s New York City, Disney's Burbank studios, and the delirious world of the Beatles' London, Henry remains handsome, charming, universally adored--but unable to return the affections of the many women who try to lay claim to his heart. It is not until Henry comes face-to-face with the truths of his past that he finds a chance for real love.

With the normal patterns of her life turned upside down, Sally Farber finds herself searching for the true definition of happiness in her life through her experiences of motherhood, marriage, an affair, writing, and home renovation, in the story of one woman's midlife crisis and quest for meaning. Reader's Guide included. Reprint. 25,000 first printing.