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cakt1991's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
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.
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.
curiouscapyshop's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
whatizontheshelf's review
The subject matter and story it was telling felt very compelling and interesting enough for me to pick up the book, to begin with. But it felt like the author had some difficulties reconciling the historical facts with her own creative writing, and as a result, the book reads like a history class/creative writing project where someone is told "talk about the typical day in the life of a 17th-century pilgrim". I wasn't immersed in the book or the setting, despite really trying to be. The writing just didn't feel mature enough for the story it was telling, and it ended up turning me off so much that I couldn't feel driven enough to finish the book.
booksandsalt's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
stephroni456's review against another edition
4.0
I received this ARC in a Goodreads giveaway, but will still give my honest opinion on the book.
Although this book skipped around to different years/months of Josephine Leary’s life, I think that really made the book. It made it seem like we were on Jo’s journey with her. She continued to have struggled after struggled and still continued to overcome each one so she could achieve her dreams, not only for herself, but for her family as well. I thought this was a great book and would suggest reading it! I am very intrigued by Josephine Leary’s life and will dig a little deeper to learn more about her.
Although this book skipped around to different years/months of Josephine Leary’s life, I think that really made the book. It made it seem like we were on Jo’s journey with her. She continued to have struggled after struggled and still continued to overcome each one so she could achieve her dreams, not only for herself, but for her family as well. I thought this was a great book and would suggest reading it! I am very intrigued by Josephine Leary’s life and will dig a little deeper to learn more about her.
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