3.5 

Carolina Built

By Kianna Alexander
Carolina Built by Kianna Alexander digital book - Fable

Publisher Description

This “exuberant celebration of Black women’s joy as well as their achievements” (Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author) novelizes the life of real estate magnate Josephine N. Leary in a previously untold story of passion, perseverance, and building a legacy after emancipation in North Carolina.

Josephine N. Leary is determined to build a life of her own and a future for her family. When she moves to Edenton, North Carolina, from the plantation where she was born, she is free, newly married, and ready to follow her dreams.

As the demands of life pull Josephine’s attention away, it becomes increasingly difficult for her to pursue her real estate aspirations. She finds herself immersed in deepening her marriage, mothering her daughters, and being a dutiful daughter and granddaughter. Still, she manages to teach herself to be a businesswoman, to manage her finances, and to make smart investments in the local real estate market. But with each passing year, it grows more and more difficult to focus on building her legacy from the ground up.

“Filled with passion and perseverance, Josephine Leary is frankly a woman that everyone should know” (Sadeqa Johnson, author of Yellow Wife) and her story speaks to the part of us that dares to dream bigger, tear down whatever stands in our way, and build something better for the loved ones we leave behind.

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Carolina Built Reviews

3.5
“I loved the premise of the book. I was excited to read more about her life. It just wasn’t written in a way that felt compelling. It can’t remember but maybe it’s based off her journal entries. I’m not sure but it was kind of hard to read although I love the theme of empowerment, entrepreneurship, and going against the grain.”
“Really enjoyed this one. I've definitely been conditioned to expect tales of horror from this time and I was so glad this novel focused on all the joy and such a strong female character at that. She doesn't "need" a man, but wants him around anyway... how wonderful is that.”

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