This felt like it was meant to be non-fiction and not a work of fiction. It felt a bit dry- just a play by play of someone’s life. Not much meat to it.

This story follows Josephine, a young black woman, not long after the emancipation. Josephine has high aspirations to build her own real estate portfolio. Yet the struggles of society, marriage and raising a family continue to make her dreams hard to achieve. Her will, however, pushes her forward.

This was an incredible book, both well written and full of meaningful characters. The grit and fortitude of Josephine, and several other characters, was admirable given their initial slavery. It’s not hard to admire those who lift themselves higher despite desperate times.

I loved this story and the narrator did a great job with multiple characters. Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the advanced ARC for my review.

I'm always a fan of historical fiction, and this beautiful cover is what hooked me. I enjoyed the time jumps and reading about Josephine Leary- a Black woman born a slave, was freed at age nine, and made a career in real estate in North Carolina. A great perspective that I haven't seen in a long while in fiction. Very enjoyable.

GoodReads:
DNF at 14%

I really appreciate that the existence of this book taught me about Josephine Leary - a Black woman born enslaved, freed at 9, and who became a real estate mogul in North Carolina. But I enjoyed reading the nonfiction accounts of her that I found online more than this book.

It's clear the author did a ton of research, and I can only imagine the challenge of writing something that feels like smooth-flowing historic fiction while remaining true to the source material. But for me this read like a contemporary fiction shoved into the past, rather than transporting me to the past. Some of this was the dialogue. Some of it was Josephine's internal thoughts, which felt out of time. She, for example, uses phrases that simply didn't exist in the 1800s yet.

The time jumps used also didn't work for me. I understood a little why we might jump from when Josephine is a little, recently freed, girl to her adulthood, but then there's another immediate time jump right after she buys her first property. I wanted to get to know Josephine, but I felt like I couldn't. And the flashbacks employed left me wondering why we didn't more deeply explore those parts of her life - for example, a mention of her attending a free school and earning a certificate. I felt like at least a chapter set in that time would have helped me get to know Josephine.

*I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.*

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Carolina Built is a historic fiction book based on the real life of Josephine Leary - a Black Woman born enslaved, free at 9, who as an adult became a real estate mogul in North Carolina. I so appreciate that the existence of this book taught me about Josephine Leary - but I preferred reading the nonfiction accounts of her online to this book. It’s clear the author did a ton of research, but a lot of jumps around time made me feel like I couldn’t really get to know Josephine. What made me stop reading, though, was dialogue and thoughts that felt contemporary in this historic fiction.

*I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.*

Prolific author, Kianna Alexander has written a sterling fictional account based on the life of Josephine Napoleon Leary, who was born into slavery and through determination, financial savvy, and a never give-up spirit, goes on to build a real estate empire. I must confess that I had never heard of Josephine Leary until I read Ms Alexander’s story of her life. I have read some of the Contemporary Romance stories of Ms Alexander, but this is my first Historical. She does an exceptional job!
Josephine Leary’s story is set in Edenton, North Carolina, and it concentrates on her life after slavery. The author’s account of Josephine’s life is riveting. Her dream of being financially independent as a business woman and a land owner unfolds as she faces and overcomes one challenge after another to achieve her goals. Although Josephine N. Leary is a lesser known historical figure, her story, CAROLINA BUILT, is certainly one that is worthy of adding to your library. Kudos to author, Kianna Alexander for her fictionalized account of this intriguing woman who took her entrepreneurial skills to a whole different level. I highly recommend this book for your entertainment and education.

I found this story very hard to get into, but I think mostly it was just a writing style that I didn't enjoy overall. The writing seemed too descriptive or out of place at times. It was definitely an interesting story, but not captivating or propelling for me.

Josephine N. Leary is determined to embrace her freedom and uses property ownership to make her dreams come true. Putting slavery behind her, she decides to build a life and a future for herself and her daughters. When she moves to Edenton, North Carolina from the plantation where she was born, she is free, newly married, and ready to buy her first property, to the consternation of her husband Sweety.
Throughout her marriage, she buys property and uses her mind and resources to maintain freedom both physically and financially. Juggling the demands of property ownership, parenting, barbering, and her husband's fragile ego makes life difficult at times for Jo, though.
I admire the resilience and determination of Josephine Leary. Her husband and their fights over her dreams get tedious, though. And the book has a slightly choppy flow that makes it frustrating to read. While I appreciate the opportunity to learn more about this woman, the book doesn't do her justice.

I enjoyed hearing the story of Josephine, a strong black woman whose story would be lost without authors like Alexander bringing it to light. Some parts dragged a bit for me but overall an interesting read. I especially liked getting a glimpse of post Civil War life and the way that former slaves had to adjust.

Wow. I did not want this story to end. To be one of the first black women able to own real estate after slavery and being a free woman? That is astounding. I loved the writing and the flow of this book. It makes me want to do a little more research on the woman herself. It's just mind boggling about how many black hidden figures there are and how their stories are just coming to surface in this country. This was such a great fictional account of a real person. This was the perfect read to round out black history month and also close to women's history month. This was such a great and inspirational story.

It's always been hard to be a woman. In the US, it's always been hard to be Black. Now put the two disadvantages together...that's what Josephine Leary is up against. She's equal to any task, though; the novel begins in 1870, during the last days of Reconstruction. Having lived her childhood as a slave, Josephine knows that every single act she takes in this life has to have as its aim the increase of freedom and the assurance of security for herself, her husband, and their two daughters, as each addition to her life is made.

Her slaveowner was also her father, and that piece of "good luck" played out in her favor. She was able to buy the barbershop she and her husband ran together from him. And from there forward, it was all Mrs. Leary and all the way up Sweety, her husband, backed her.

Until her success threatened his Manhood.

It's a testament to the author's ability to pace a story that I didn't just quietly close the book and ignore it at that point. I know it happened; I am told it still happens. But it makes for dull reading, the expected flaw in the expected place. But to her credit, Author Alexander dwells on it not...it's not like it's played down but it's not protracted either.

What made me so dad-blamed mad that I screamed at my Kindle (for which I apologize to my roommate, he was sleeping and was utterly terrified as I shouted "NO SHE DID NOT!!" into the dark) came close to the end of the book when there's a fire that deprives Mrs. Leary of her (uninsured, of course, she was a Black woman, who'd write that policy in the 1890s?!) hard-earned gains! But...and this is where I almost cheered but was too shy to wake the grouch up again...she still owned the land. And she chose to rebuild, to build back better.

Unlike certain scumbag politicians with "R"s after their names.

Well, that all sounds very five-starry, doesn't it? But there's a four up there...and I feel generous giving it. The fact is that this is a very dialogue-heavy novel and there's not much vigor in the dialogue. It's not awful but it doesn't lend itself to quoting the quotable quotes. There's not any.
<blockquote>"The only thing that truly frightens me is the idea that I might not take full advantage of the gift of freedom. I refuse to let that happen."</blockquote>
And that is as snappy as it gets. I'm in total agreement with the sentiment. I just wish it had more oomph behind it.

But in the end, this is an historical novel and it's a lot better served by thinking of it as a novelized biography. Josephine Leary very much deserves to be remembered for her indomitable will, her savvy, and her sheer cussèd determination to overcome every obstacle the world shoves in front of her. Reading the story is a good, and a worthy, way to honor the memory of such a remarkable person.

There is a story here to be told, but this book is not it. I found the writing to be elementary and boring. While Josephine Leary may have had an unusual life for a newly freed black woman, this author did not do her story its due. I mlght recommend this book for a middle school young adult.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH PICK.

CAROLINA BUILT is beautifully rendered and inspiring!

Author Kianna Alexander (romance writer) crosses over to the historical genre with an inspiring story based on the life of Josephine N. Leary, born into slavery and later built a real estate empire in North Carolina.

Being an NC native, I found this bit of untold history very interesting and had not heard of it previously. I appreciate this author's meticulous research into Mrs. Leary's history.

Born in 1856, Josephine was born into slavery. Following the Civil War, she was freed when she was 9 years old.

From the 1870s in Williamston, NC, she was a quick learner, a reader, and ambitious when Josephine was a child. After moving from the plantation where she was from. Her father was white, which was their former master, Colonel Lamb. Her mother, grandmother, and brother lived in a small cabin.

Set in Edenton, NC, after moving from the plantation Josephine was ready to settle down and live her dream. She worked in a barbershop as a teen, where she met her future husband, "Sweety" Leary. In 1873 Josephine Williams married Sweety Archer Leary; both worked as barbers.

She wound up later buying the building with money from her father as a wedding gift. In 1881 Mrs. Leary, skillfully maneuvering the real estate market purchased six properties in the "Cheapside" district.

In the novel, Sweety is supportive at first, but they get jealous of an ambitious woman like most men. Plus, often times the community did not respect her being a woman and of color. However, she preserves, becomes a mother of two daughters, and teaches them the importance of reading, education, and independence.

There were many challenges in a man's world during this era, but Josephine was set on investing in real estate. She became successful and ran several businesses while raising her family while overcoming many challenges being a woman of color in a man's world.

As we advance to the Epilogue, March 1894 in Edenton, NC, she has a new building, the J. N. Leary Building, with several tenants. The author includes photos of the historical site and other images and an extensive bibliography.

In 1893, a fire destroyed the east side of Broad St; everything from King to Water St is lost. Mrs. Leary's investment is a pile of ashes. In 1894 Mrs. Leary had a big decision to sell land or rebuild? Optimistically chooses to build her signature building.

Most of the time, back in the 1970s in NC, they would not even allow a woman of childbearing years to sign on a mortgage and would not count her income. So I appreciate this tenacious, courageous, and determined woman making history.

On a side note:

After reading, of course, I went "googling" and was sad to learn in late 1893, the fire that destroyed the entire section known as "Cheapside," a 17th Century London name describing an area of shops—Nothing was insured. Her buildings were gone, but she had the land. You can read more about it here: Historical Marker Data Base (view the building, photos, notations, and her name after rebuilding in 1894).

For a woman born into slavery to reach her status is incredible. Unfortunately, her life of success and admiration became one of despair as she was fighting cancer. She borrows against her investments to cover medical bills. Her holdings dwindled while she fought cancer for 8 years, dying at 67.

In 1823 she died from stomach cancer while still owning 133 E. Church St, 102 S. Broad St, and 317 S. Broad St properties. All mired in a tangle of debt supporting her medical expenses.

Mrs. Leary bought her first property when she was 17 years old for $550.00! I can appreciate this since I was age 18, living in NC when I purchased my first property for $14,500 plus the cost of land. I cannot imagine living in the 1800s and doing so.


A highly recommended read for black history month and honoring the courageous life of Josephine Napoleon Leary. A special thank you to the author for the re-imagining and retelling of an essential biographical fiction of this admirable and passionate woman. I think she would be proud. #CoverCrush

Many thanks to #NetGalley and #GalleryBooks for an advanced reading copy.

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@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 4 Stars
Pub Date: Feb 22, 2022

As soon as I read the synopsis for this book, I knew it would be a must read. I was able to receive a digital ARC copy through Netgalley and read it immediately! I have to stress how much I wanted to give this book 5 stars, but I didn't feel that it would have been honest feedback.

The fictionalized story told that is based on real-life Josephine (Jo) N. Leary who was born into slavery and after emancipation became an incredibly successful businesswoman and real estate mogul is a powerful and important one shining a light on an amazing Black woman in a time when neither being Black nor being a woman was looked at as being worthy or equal to men. Jo's story is one that most of us have never heard (including myself), and absolutely learned from and are better for having read it.

That being said - I did not love the writing in this book, nor the execution of the delivery. The dialogue felt flat, and although I am glad we covered so much of Jo's life, it was almost too much for this short book. The book opens and we meet her in the year 1870 and we leave her in 1894 - and nearly every year is covered in between. While I understand there was something important happening seemingly each year - it created a book full if tiny snippets without real substance. We would come upon an issue or an event, be introduced to it in short order, and left without much depth in explanation or story.

In the end, I can appreciate what the author Kianna Alexander was trying to do, and to a degree it was effective because I did learn and I was moved - but I almost feel like the fictionalization of this story did not serve Josephine Leary in the way a straight up biography may well have. I wish I could give this 3.5 stars but I wouldn't feel right giving it 4. I enjoyed it overall, I am so glad that I read it, and I would recommend it, but with the caveats mentioned above. Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this free copy in exchange for my honest review!

"The only thing that truly frightens me is the idea that I might not take full advantage of the gift of freedom. I refuse to let that happen." (May be omitted after publishing)

5/5 Stars - biographical historical fiction about Josephine Leary, one of the first free black women to become a real estate magnate.

It has been such a long time since I have read a biographical historical fiction, and I am so happy I hopped back on the wagon with this one! This novel follows the true story of Josephine Leary during her life as a free black woman, trying to battle prejudice and racism, the expectations put on her as a wife and mother, managing her finances and properties independent of her husband, and most of all, claiming her freedom and making the most of her life by following her dreams: real estate.

Josephine Leary is passionate, strong, kind, dedicated, and one bad ass woman. Throughout this story, we see her marriage to Sweety, who I liked in the beginning, but slowly started to disgust me. I understand during this time he was considered open-minded, and it was interesting to see their relationship as a clear black woman and "passes as white" black man, but he succumbed to societal pressure very quickly in the book and as we jumped years, his slow descent into his male ego was devastating to read and also wildly irritating. It made me so happy to read Jo stand up for herself and persist in her dream despite the irrationalities from Sweety. One of the things I loved most about Jo was that while she took care of her children, her businesses, her house, her husband, her friends, she NEVER laid down her dreams and taking care of herself. I found this to be such a strong characteristic for not just a woman of that time, but just as a woman in general. Battling responsibilities and being expected to take care of everyone and set aside your desires is a pressure and expectation still placed on women today, and I felt so inspired by Jo not breaking her promise to use her freedom and not back down from life.

Kianna Alexander did a fantastic job writing about this time period, and her commitment to her research about Jo was clearly thorough and loyal to Jo's history. Her writing has such incredible substance and had me flipping to every chapter without hesitation. The female friendship she wrote in this is perhaps one of my favorite elements to her adaptation. Her companionship with Rosa, Missouri, her mother, her grandmother, Eunice, and all of the Suffragette ladies was absolutely wonderful and a progressive commentary about the loyalty women should have for another; raising one another up instead of breaking each other down. While the events of the last chapter were an emotional roller coaster, it had such a beautiful wrap up for Jo's story and made me want to dig deeper into her legacy and look up current photos of her buildings and past businesses.

This book is definitely deserving of 5 stars! I think anyone who reads it will be in wonder of this amazing woman who we never hear enough about. I am so grateful for Kianna Alexander introducing Josephine Leary to me, and as an educator, I will 100% be bringing this role model up in my classes. Her legacy should be remembered for all time. I can't wait to see what Kianna comes out with next!

I was provided this ARC by Gallery Books.

Wonderfully historical novel about an amazing Black woman Josephine Napoleon Leary. I know now I will need to learn more about this woman who began to acquire real estate in her own name while married. It was well written and the character of Jo was well developed as a woman who had been enslaved at the time of emancipation, as well as a wife, mother, daughter and businesswoman.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I’ve read a few of Kianna Alexander’s romances, but was admittedly the more excited when I saw the announcement/blurb for Carolina Built. I had never heard of Josephine N. Leary before, but upon finishing the book, I’m fascinated by her story, and how she rose from slavery to become a real estate mogul. The book perfectly captures her rise in prosperity, and the struggles she had to deal with at the time as a Black woman in a white man’s world. I was particularly struck by the depiction of her complex relationship with her husband, who often seemed intimidated by her ambition. He has his own (more legitimate) deficits, with his tendency toward overindulgence in alcohol, which she greatly disapproves of.
I did long for more depth and growth from Josephine as a character at times. The book leans very much into the “narrative biography” style, taking Josephine from event to event, without allowing the reader to have many reasons to truly become invested in the protagonist apart from her many accomplishments. Josephine is seemingly perfect, and whileI admire her for her accomplishments, I couldn’t help but want to see some vulnerability. While it is great to see a portrait of Black female excellence in a time where the odds are so stacked against them, it does make me wonder if this topic was not better suited to an actual biography, given Alexander’s approach.
This is not a bad book by any means, and I did really enjoy it. I do feel that it does require going in with the right expectations. The book feels almost episodic, connected by the fact that the people within the story experience recurring issues in their conflicts with one another, and each of them is quite set in their ways for the most part. I feel like if you’re fine with a book that doesn’t fall neatly into the “character vs. plot” focus, and has a very vignette-like style, you’ll enjoy this book.

Author Kianna Alexander brings history to life in this generational tale centered around real estate magnate Josephine N. Leary. Told from her and her husband Archer's perspectives, we gain insights into Reconstruction and the Guilded Age through the perspective of first generation free men and women. Through four generations, we witness the love and dedication Mrs. Leary gave to her family, community, and real estate ventures. Rich characters add depth to the story that plays out in little vignettes spanning from 1870 to 1894.

Carolina Built is based on the true story of Josephine Leary, an emancipated black woman who wants more in life than just raising her children. She becomes a real estate tycoon in North Carolina in the late 1800’s.

I found this book to have too much detail in things that were not important. The writing style made me unable to really connect with the characters. I did not know anything about Josephine Leary, and always love learning something new.

Thank you NetGalley and Gallery Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC of this nice from a #Goodreads giveaway I won. I love reading stories about strong, independent women from history, and this one does not disappoint. I love discovering historical fiction about those individuals that I am not familiar, and Kianna Alexander does an excellent job writing about Josephine Leary’s incredible life as a African-American real estate magnate in Edenton, North Carolina. She shows Josephine’s real life determination to follow her dreams, even when the odds of her race and gender stand against her. This novel did a wonderful job of portraying Josephine’s real life in a time of adversity. I also love the bibliographical references at the end of the book and the photographs, so the reader can learn more about this remarkable woman.

I cannot wait to read more by @kiannaalexander ! I hope others will flock to read this novel! #CarolinaBuilt
@kiannaalexander

Carolina Built was a five star historical novel. The author did an outstanding work of placing the reader in the time and location, with detailed descriptions of the lifestyle of a successful mixed-race business woman in North Carolina, during the 1800s. I appreciated that the story included a scene where a group of red-neck white guys demonstrated their prejudice, but that was not the focus of the story. The emphasis was on the steady drive of Josephine Leary to acquire a number of properties of her own, to be independent of even her husband, whom she loved. The story was also about how close knit and supportive her grandmother, mother, brother and her husband were. The story was special because it revealed a story about an inspiring woman, who loved her family, and experienced success, not by luck, but by applying herself to a goal. Thanks to the author for a clean historical read. Gorgeous cover. I wish the author had included a description of which aspects of the story were entirely from her imagination and which were taken from actual documented research. I did like the photographs at the conclusion.