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d0505's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Racism
Moderate: Alcoholism
imfixintoread's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
This book has been on my TBR since last summer when I picked up a copy of this on a trip to Edenton, NC. I was familiar with Josephine Leary because of the historical marker outside of her building and was so excited to learn a bit more. While it is historical fiction, there were parts that I did not feel the author went deep enough given the amount of research she did. It fell a little short for me in terms of the depth of the story line and I was a bit underwhelmed with the lack of history brought in about the area and town at the time. Additionally, I was disappointed in the language choices used. There were a few times that I had a hard time with the language as it came across formal and did not pick up on the unique dialect and words that are specific to Eastern North Carolina.
Despite all of that, I would still recommend a read of this book to learn more about Josephine Leary and potentially explore your own research from there. She was fascinating and I'm glad I read this.
Despite all of that, I would still recommend a read of this book to learn more about Josephine Leary and potentially explore your own research from there. She was fascinating and I'm glad I read this.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Pregnancy, and Racism
Minor: Physical abuse, Alcoholism, and Fire/Fire injury
jashanac's review against another edition
slow-paced
3.0
Josephine Leary was a fascinating woman who bucked against the traditional expectations of women in her day. She made no secret of her ambitions to never be beholden to anyone ever again, after being born into slavery and being a slave until she was 9 years old.
I found this book to be enjoyable enough, though admittedly a fair amount of it was more slice-of-life than I guess I expected. Lots of details about mundane daily tasks or errands. There wasn't much Big Drama in her life as an adult, and of course that isn't necessary to have for a story to be an enjoyable story, but I think I for some reason was expecting a bigger splash, so that altered my reading experience a bit, for sure.
In my personal opinion, the book could have been shorter. I hate to say that the story of someone's life was "boring", and Josephine certainly did not have a boring life, but it was simply a bit drawn out in parts and for me it didn't benefit the story. It made it feel a bit too tedious for my taste, but if I had gone into it knowing it was going to be slower and more "slice of life" I may have felt differently!
I found this book to be enjoyable enough, though admittedly a fair amount of it was more slice-of-life than I guess I expected. Lots of details about mundane daily tasks or errands. There wasn't much Big Drama in her life as an adult, and of course that isn't necessary to have for a story to be an enjoyable story, but I think I for some reason was expecting a bigger splash, so that altered my reading experience a bit, for sure.
In my personal opinion, the book could have been shorter. I hate to say that the story of someone's life was "boring", and Josephine certainly did not have a boring life, but it was simply a bit drawn out in parts and for me it didn't benefit the story. It made it feel a bit too tedious for my taste, but if I had gone into it knowing it was going to be slower and more "slice of life" I may have felt differently!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism and Slavery
Minor: Sexual assault and Domestic abuse
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