The subject has promise, but the writing keeps the reader at a distance and there is little connection to be found with the characters.

This is an interesting fictionalized biography of a black real-estate developer in eastern North Carolina during Reconstruction and at the beginning of the Jim Crow era. Unfortunately, the writing style keeps to a pretty superficial level so that there is no real investment in the characters for the reader. The timing keeps jumping forward in a jarring way and doesn't really allow for any in-depth understanding of the personalities involved. While the subject matter could have been fascinating, it is only marginally so in this treatment.

Add Josephine Napoleon Leary to the list of African-American women who rose from slavery to make their mark in the business world.

Just 9 years old when the Civil War ended, Leary grew up to attend barber school and opened a shop with her husband in Edenton, North Carolina. Starting with the purchase of a parking lot, Leary goes on to hold title to the barber shop, her home and several rental buildings, all just in her name.

Author Kianna Alexander focuses on domestic life in the late 1800s and the imagined relationship Leary had with her husband, who resents Leary's sole ownership of the property. She shows Leary urging women to keep the money they earn and to value their freedom.

Still standing in Edenton is a building Leary commissioned after a fire destroyed her property. The building still stands, bearing her name just below the roofline. A plaque on street level celebrates her accomplishments.

This was my second historical fiction read of December, and while it started off a little choppy, I grew to appreciate the story in the end. Being a North Carolinian, it was fascinating to learn about Josephine Napoleon Leary, who was an early real estate entrepreneur in Edenton and other towns in coastal North Carolina in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Like the author, I am sad (but not surprised) that our North Carolina history classes never mentioned Leary, even though her accomplishments were quite groundbreaking for her time.

Jo comes from a hardworking family who were former slaves. Jo remembers life as an enslaved person, but is proud of her accomplishments since then. As the book begins, she has just married Archer Leary. They are both barbers, and plan to open their own barbershop. But Jo has other plans as well - she wants to own property. Archer - whose nickname is Sweety - can (and does often) pass as white, giving them an advantage in the racist atmosphere of the 187os. When they look at a property in Elizabeth City that Archer plans to buy, the real estate broker refuses to honor the advertised promise to take half the asking price at sale and the rest paid over time because Sweety's wife is colored. But Jo has $500, and purchases the property outright. This begins a lifelong passion for acquiring and developing real estate.

The book jumps from vignette to vignette of Jo's life. Sometimes, this makes the book seem choppy. In addition, the dynamic between Jo and Archer can get repetitive. Archer struggles with accepting a wife who is self-reliant and not happy being a "traditional" wife, staying home with the kids and taking care of the house. Despite his chronic insecurities, his love of his wife comes through.

Despite the choppiness and the repetitive themes, the story is a very interesting one. I loved learning about Jo and look forward to looking for her building the next time I visit Edenton.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy of this interesting book!

I will generally give any book 3 stars if I’ve learned something new. Josephine Napolean Leary was a first generation free, black woman living in North Carolina. Having descended from a line of strong women, Josephine becomes a successful businesswoman, land owner, wife and mother. I have great respect for her fortitude in breaking barriers not only for her daughters but generations to come. Through trouble in her marriage and a disastrous fire she rebuilds and leaves a legacy. Thank you to Kianna Alexander for bringing Mrs. Leary to the forefront of history. This book broadened my knowledge on post Civil War southern society and the struggles and great tenacity of those who were enslaved and those were freed. I believe the author did well creating a story with probably what limited detailed personal life information there is on Mrs. Leary.
I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Carolina Built by Kianna Alexander is a fictionalized story of the real-life story of Josephine N. Leary an inspirational woman who was far ahead of her time. This fast-paced, sweeping historical drama is packed with historical details and a strong, independent heroine.

The book starts with Josephine, as she moves to a new town from a plantation where she was raised as a slave and is now freed. She meets and marries Archer, who she calls Sweety and they start their lives together. Both Josephine and Archer are ambitious and want to improve their lives, but it’s Josephine who starts to buy property as Archer runs his barbershop. This story follows Josephine and Archer as they become parents to two daughters, and experience the ups and downs of their lives.

The book is told from various points of view, mostly from Josephine’s point of view. The book is dialogue-heavy and is written in a very matter-of-fact way. The trials and tribulations of Josephine and her family were interspersed with historical details of the time period. The book was fast-paced and easy to read, however, I would have liked a bit more character development for these characters. I found the prologue and author notes are extremely interesting, as are the photos of the storefront, that still stands today.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

"Carolina Built" by Kianna Alexander
Release Date: 2.22.2022

Josephine N. Leary wants to build her own future. She moves to Edenton, North Carolina from the plantation where she was born and enslaved. She is now free, newly married, and ready to pursue her dreams!

Life is full of demands, and Josephine's real estate aspirations are placed on hold while she focuses on her marriage, daughters, and grandmother. Josephine self-teaches herself business and finances by studying the transactions in Manhattan and studying everyone who buys real estate.

Josephine's story resonates with readers to always remember their dreams and think bigger. I couldn't help buy root for Josephine. Josephine she was the underdog, an uneducated Black woman pursuing her dreams during the Reconstruction period.

Thank you to @netgalley for the opportunity to read this title in exchange for my honest review.

#bookstagram #bookstagrammer #netgalley #netgalleyreads #historicalfiction #2022bookreleases #carolinabuilt #kiannaalexander

I had not heard of Josephine Leary or of author Kianna Alexander before reading Carolina built. I love history and reading about women’s history. Leary was a go getter and had gumption. She excelled at economic management and fiscal responsibility in a world dominated by others. Alexander’s writing was smooth and brought the story to life. Don’t miss out on this Inspirational story.

Carolina Built reimagines the fascinating life of a real estate magnate Josephine N. Leary. After emancipation in North Carolina, she builds a stunning legacy through her passion and perseverance.

North Carolina. In 1873, Josephine buys her first property, when opportunity presents, and because her mother and grandmother never had the right, or the funds, to make such a purchase. She studies the transactions of the biggest landowners in Manhattan. As she works along her husband at barbershop and their family expends, she continues to observe and study those who gain properties. She even attends a few auctions to see her competition in her area. She wants her portfolio to be as robust with a mixture of property types as the ones she studies.

The memory of free will being stripped from one is still fresh. She doesn’t want to live at the whim of another white man. Thus, she starts flipping from renting to buying the properties with carefully saved money.

Her interests extend to attending conventions involving talks about temperance and suffrage. She doesn’t like her husband spending money on liquor and cares about education for all women. Her ambition may not be understood by some, but that doesn’t stop her from progressing.

Her path crosses many challenges: as a woman sometimes not even being acknowledged by her own husband as a business partner, being a black woman and competing with white men in real estate, balancing everyday life and progressing her aspirations.

Written with depth and strong convictions, this story brings an unconventional woman whose struggles feel very real. This linear story of Josephine is interestingly presented. However, the story of her progression in real estate is more on a fringe.

Although this book is classified as historical fiction it's very realistic based on documents previously written about Josephine Leary. I love reading books that show strong, female characters who are driven to be successful and share those values with their children. This book would be a great choice for high school students in business or economics class.

Carolina Built is based on the fascinating life of the real Josephine Leary who owned a significant amount of real estate after her emancipation from slavery. The book follows Josephine from her time as a happy newlywed through motherhood and marital woes, all while collecting properties and investments to build a lasting legacy for her children.
I’m intrigued by Leary’s life story and would love to read an actual biography because this historical fiction was underwhelming for me. The book is completely dialogue driven, it’s almost entirely conversations she has with family and friends moving the story forward so there’s not a lot of descriptions or insight into Leary’s thoughts and feelings beyond surface level. The dialogue itself felt awkward at times and I was never able to settle into the story because of it. Interesting person with a great story but the delivery here was lukewarm for me.
Thanks to Gallery Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Carolina Built is scheduled for release on February 22, 2022.

Josephine N. Leary, the granddaughter of a freed slave, is determined to make the best of her life. Loosely based on her real life story as a Black real estate mogul in North Carolina. Josephine and her husband owned a successful barbershop, but she carried the dream and independent spirit to acquire so much more. Purchasing her first piece of land when a deal her husband was interested in did not go through opened up her spirit as a entrepreneur. Josephine went on to purchase more real estate in the area, which still exist as the Edenton State Historic site.

I enjoyed the book from the historic perspective. The fictional tale Alexander created albeit interesting, it was lacking. Josephine's actions sometimes came off as selfish and deceptive as she didn't involve or disclose her plans to her husband. Although she acquired a lot of land, there was not much portrayed about her businesses. This book did speak to the resilience and strength of a seemingly impossible dream obtained.

Josephine is a newly freed woman of deep character from a line of strong women. Her determination to be true to her dreams drives the plot. Based on the real Josephine N. Leary, she is a feminist ahead of her time and faces criticism for not knowing her place. With determination she pursues her dream of owning property and leaving a legacy.

J. N. Leary is an inspiration and a welcome addition to post Civil War history. The back matter is impressive with all of the resources Kianna Alexander used in writing this fictionalized memoir

Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Jo is a newly freed woman who finds love and family to be too confining in a new land of opportunity. Although her husband is eager to share the wealth of her labor and benefit from her business savvy, he struggles to see her roles outside the home. Her story is one of hope inspiration and the ever expanding role woman take in shaping the future.

Thank you Gallery Books, NetGalley and Author for this advance ebook copy in return for an honest review!

Josephine's character is stunning. She shows how to be strong and keep moving forward! Neve stop dreaming your dreams and always dream bigger!
Kianna paints a portrait of A wonderful lady here!
Really this was a dazzling, magnificent and captivating novel that I couldn’t put down.
A beautifully written book that blends fact and fiction into an engrossing adventure that encompasses everything you need in a story, with pages that run over with love and passion!
Really enjoyed this story!

Thanks again NetGalley, Publisher and Author for the chance to read and review this amazing book!
I'll post to my Social media platforms closer to pub date!

What a great story of grit and determination! It's the real life story of Josephine N. Leary, a real estate magnate in Edenton, North Carolina. I didn't know her story before reading, so this was very interesting!

It's a story about how she leads her family away from plantation life into a life of freedom. She makes her dreams of owning land and not being enslaved again come true. She deals with issues being a woman with means, even her husband, Sweety, is sometimes intimidated. She teaches her daughters to be strong, independent women.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.