Carolina Built: A Novel

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.