Marie Benedict displays a beautiful flow of writing which had me captivated from the start.
Clara Kelly is a poor Irish immigrant who through unforseen circumstances finds herself employed as a lady's maid to the mother of the infamous Andrew Carnegie. Over time as she makes herself indispensable to Mrs Carnegie her relationship with Andrew also develops to a deep and meaningful appreciation of each other.
A truly beautiful tale of love between the social classes well worth 5 stars.

Clara Kelly leaves Ireland for America to help the struggling family she leaves behind. Upon arriving in Pittsburgh, a serendipitous case of mistaken identity lands her in a post as lady's made to Andrew Carnegie's mother, a job for which she is supremely unqualified. But Mrs. Carnegie is also a woman who reached her role without experience, and Clara is an intelligent woman who learns quickly and does her homework. She soon becomes indispensable to Mrs. Carnegie, and a person of great interest to her son Andrew. It's a lonely and risky position to be in, and Clara is just one mistake away from having her secrets exposed and losing her job.

Clara is a vibrant, courageous, intelligent woman, who cares deeply about her family. Carnegie's Maid takes us into the life of a ladies maid in the late 1960's, and at the same time, creates a believable (albeit fictional) character who could have been the impetus for Andrew Carnegie's philanthropy. "Carnegie's Maid" is a well written story that captures the imagination and keeps the reader engaged to the very last page!

Carnegie’s Maid by Marie Benedict 4/5 ☆

Thank you to Sourcebooks for providing me with a free review copy of this books. All opinions in this blog are my own.

I love historical fiction, so when I saw the description of this book, I knew it’d be one that I’d want to read and would enjoy. I really did enjoy this book. It takes place during a part of American history that I haven’t studied too in-depth about. This book did make me research because I was curious to learn about the Carnegie family and what they did during their lifetimes as one of America’s richest families.

I really enjoyed how this novel showed how life was for different classes during the late 1800’s. There were different opportunities to see what life was like for working immigrant families. It was contrasted with the sheltered life of the wealthy in Pittsburgh. There were different struggles shown from both sides of the spectrum. I enjoyed getting that glimpse into both of those parts of society. It kept the novel lively.

Although this novel does show the social stratification, it is a love story. The author creates a fictitious world that shows what could have happened to make Andrew Carnegie the philanthropist that he became in his life. I was immersed in the life of Clara Kelley, and her immigrant journey from the beginning of the novel. Her struggles and mannerisms were relatable in different aspects. It was so easy to like this character right away and root for her as the story progressed.

The only complaint I have is that the ending was so quick. I understand why it had to be that way and knew how it was going to end. But it was wrapped up extremely fast while the novel progressed steadily but slowly.

Overall, this novel was great. I love this genre, so I was easily immersed. I highly recommend adding this book to your TBR pile when it comes out or pre-order it now. Its release date is January 15, 2018.

I was so looking forward to this book. However, it was a disappointment. I found it depressing, and very unrealistic. I guess it's whose biography you believe, and I just don't believe this one. Sorry.
carolintallahassee 👒

I enjoyed Carnegie’s Maid right from the captivating beginning pages where, Clara, in an instance of mistaken identity finds her way to be a ladies maid to wealthy Mrs. Carnegie. It was well written, authentic to the period, and authentic in the way that Clara ‘knew her place’, not uncommon during those years. She spoke subserviently to both Andrew and Mrs. Carnegie, Andrew’s mother.

The book describes the opulence within which the Carnegies lived as well as the destitution that swallowed the lives of Clara’s family, some in Ireland, some in America. Business dealings of Andrew and his colleagues are described clearly and concisely without being boring or textbooklike.

It tells of the attraction between Andrew and Clara and their love that was forbidden because of their disparate ‘stations’. This tale is an excellent story that tells of what might have or could have happened in the life of Andrew Carnegie.

The ending was not what I would have wished to happen, but it was an excellent ending nonetheless, both accurate to the story and very plausible given Carnegie’s real history.

I enjoyed Carnegie’s Maid immensely and would happily give it more than five stars if I could. I recommend it to all my reading friends.

Thank you very much to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

Loved this totally entertaining yet fictionalized account of what might have motivated Andrew Carnegie to apply his vast fortune to a philanthropic mission, ultimately becoming his famous library legacy. We follow author Marie Benedict's winsome ancestor Clara Kelley from her impoverished Ireland, across the Atlantic, to the Carnegie Mansion. Even though this book is basically an unrequited Upstairs Downstairs romance, it provides an authentic look at the Carnegie family's rise to greatness, the struggle of new money vs old money in America, and an artful take on a substantiated mystery!
Extra points for incorporating the oh-so-apt Elizabeth Barrett Browning quote, "The world of books is still the world".

I've lived in Pittsburgh all of my life and I've read many books about Andrew Carnegie and his peers, so I was very interested to read this book, and it doesn't disappoint. Clara, an immigrant from Ireland, becomes a lady's maid in the Carnegie home, and we see 1860s Pittsburgh through her eyes. I think the thing that struck me the most was the difference between the Carnegies' lives and the factory workers who made their wealth for them. It was a pretty stark difference. The pollution described in the city was awful, and while I'm not old enough to remember the pollution, I do remember the mills closing and all the work that's gone on to clean up the area. So to read this book was fairly surreal for me. I was rooting for Clara the whole time, and the author does a really wonderful job of making you dislike/love Andrew Carnegie himself. No one knows why Carnegie suddenly became a philanthropist at the age of 33, but the author's take on it was a wonderful idea. Highly recommend!

I received this from NetGalley for an honest review.

Clara Kelly is a woman that happens upon a situation and turns it to her advantage. During her time as Mrs. Carnegie's lady maid she finds not only who she is but what she wants in life. The amount of research Marie Benedict had to do in order to get as much detail as she did in this book was phenomenal. From the etiquette of house servants, the social classes, the attitudes, dress and homes, it was easy to imagine just how everything appeared.

I didn't really enjoy this book fully until after I made it halfway through the book. There was too much detail, not enough character interaction between Clara and Andrew. As we were focused on Clara's struggle, it felt as though addressing her problems were an afterthought. Because her family had been mentioned before, the author had to do something to wrap up that bit of the story.

I did enjoy Clara and Andrew's interaction after getting through most of the book (even if some of them were completely unbelievable for the time period). I liked their stolen moments, the way Andrew saw Clara as a competent, business minded woman. The ending is what bothered me. It felt like there was a rush to meet a deadline and everything just hit a stop. The entire time I was reading Carnegie's Maid I felt like there was something missing. I still feel like there are chapters missing. The epilogue didn't wrap up Clara's story at all. This left me wanting and not in a good way.

Would I recommend this book to friends? Probably not.

I was given an advance copy of this book by NetGalley in order to give my honest opinion.

I should start by saying that I LOVE historic fiction. That being said, there were parts of this book that rated a 5 star and parts that rated much lower. Let me explain.

First, I found the parts about the Carnegie family fascinating, especially delving into their background and their immigrant roots, as well as the varied business interests.

The premise of the book was good, too---how did a man who would be easily described as a 'ruthless' businessman develop such a dedication to education, literacy, and the well-being of the poor? Benedict attempts to explain the reasons behind the dichotomy of Andrew Carnegie's personality.

However, the downside of this book is the almost juvenile story of "star-crossed" lovers. The premises behind the love story that could never be were weak and unbelievable.

Finally, there were themes and issues that seemed out of context for the time--i.e. a 20 year old Irish immigrant maid's concern about insider trading---I am pretty sure that that is a concept that came about at a much later date and even so, would not have been a concept understood by this woman.

All in all, the book was enjoyable and allowed insight into a very huge figure in our history.

Irish immigrant, Clara Kelley, takes the place of another immigrant who died on the journey across the sea and thus becomes made to Mrs. Carnegie. As Clara finds her footing, she strives to avoid the attention of the oldest Carnegie son.

Clara was a fascinating character to follow. She is aware of how much her family back in Ireland is depending on her and for awhile she does make a good effort to avoid Andrew's attention. The way she takes on the role of lady's maid without any experience was a little improbable, but life can be stranger than fiction sometimes so maybe its possible something like this could happen.

I don't feel like there was a clear view of Andrew Carnegie. At least, I didn't feel I came to know him at all by the end of the book. His willingness to discuss business with Clara also came a cross as improbable, but I tried to keep in mind this is fiction. Anything is possible in fiction, right?

Plot-wise, the story moves along at a nice pace. The end seemed a bit abrupt and jarring. Overall, I found it an interesting read and I would recommend it to readers who enjoy a unique look at a historical figure.

I loved this book. It's a definite best seller. Andrew Carnegie comes alive and he was certainly a fascinating character. It was written beautifully and the historical research was excellent.

I have heard of the Andrew Carnegie story before but this title puts a different spin on how he became the iron magnate as well as the financier of many things. While this is indeed historical fiction, I greatly enjoyed the way that facts were interwoven with the fictional interpersonal relations.

This is a story about a maid falling in love with Andrew Carnegie and a special relationship they had. Except, I didn't feel this was true and it didn't help that the author explained right away that almost all parts of the story are pure fiction. Reading biographies and historical fiction brings me joy just when I imagine how something must have really happened. I didn't feel their connection was real. It was almost described as a crush someone has on a person they see passing by every day.

Clara is a bland character and nothing written about her didn't make me like her or dislike her, she was just plain. I see that she supposedly attracted a great businessman with her wits and intellectual conversation, but how is this different than a friendship? The progress of their relationship was slow and never reached any climax, so this really has no power for me.

Good thing about this book is the research that author clearly did before setting to write this historical piece. If you are interested in Carnegie's business endeavors, you are in for a treat. Other than that, you can enjoy other great love stories.

Interesting tale - Clara, Irish immigrant, lands on her feet after mistaken identity works in her favour. Mix this with the background of Andrew Carnegie, one of America's heroes - the epitome of the American dream- and you have the ingredients for an interesting and unusual historical novel.

Whilst on one level it appears that not much happens, this book provides a social history and an insight into the challenges faced by immigrants -- the American dream was not available to all.

4* Worth a read if you like historical fiction

DNF @63%

I loved the author's previous book, The Other Einstein and I remember being so excited, maybe even too excited when I got approved for this arc. Unfortunately, with my high expectations and actual pace of this story, this book isn't for me. I really think that lots of readers will love and appreciate it, but I think that I'll pass on this one altogether.

**Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.**

Andrew Carnegie was an industrialist who led the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century and is often identified as one of the richest Americans in history. But more importantly, he was a philanthropist, endowing the arts, universities, libraries, and foundations. During the last two decades of his life, he gave away $350 dollars (which translates to close to $78 billion in today's economy) -- almost 90% of his wealth. What prompted a titan of industry to become such a generous philanthropist?
"Carnegie's Maid" imagines the relationship between Carnegie and his mother's lady's maid, a fresh off the boat immigrant named Clara Kelley. It is a beautifully told story, both about Carnegie's transformation from success climbing industrialist to philanthropist, as well as Clara's own story, of newly arrived impoverished immigrant to modern American woman. It is told with tremendous heart, and the reader truly comes to care for Clara. I enjoyed reading this book, and will seek out other novels by Marie Benedict.

A fascinating tale of the early days of Carnegie as he was becoming a new tycoon in steel and iron along with bridges, railroads and so on. The story is told from the viewpoint of his mother's maid and gives us a fresh view of Carnegie's beginnings.

Why did Andrew Carnegie become benevolent in December of 1868 at the age of 33, so much so that he wrote it down in a letter to himself and carried it around with him for his entire life? What or who caused him to become this way? Historians have pondered this question for over a century. What author Marie Benedict proposes as to a person has to be a pretty close assumption – it would have to be someone who was an immigrant like himself, someone intelligent, feisty, well spoken, and someone close to him in order to convince him. Why not his Mother’s ladies maid?

This is a well-written and worth reading historical fiction on the early years of Andrew Carnegie’s life. It hit home for me for many reasons. I studied countless hours in the beautiful Carnegie Library at Syracuse University while obtaining my BSEE. I pass by and admire the Carnegie Library on Montgomery Street in Syracuse every day. I’ve been in the Carnegie Library in Solvay once, but now I will go back and look at it closer.

Although I read “Carnegie’s Maid” via Net Galley, I will be buying a hard copy for my personal library and rereading it. I sincerely encourage everyone to read this book, especially if you love and enjoy public libraries. Chances are, you have one of Carnegie’s libraries nearby.

Knowing nothing about Andrew Carnegie, and being one to enjoy a slice of historical fiction, I was quite drawn to this book. I especially liked the idea that, whilst the existence of Miss Clara Kelley is fictional, Andrew Carnegie and his philanthropic work was very real; and the author had envisaged just one potential reason behind Carnegie's motivations. I really enjoyed all of the characters and the level of their development was appropriate, with the story being told from Clara's point of view. I hadn't expected to but I felt a little emotional at the end. Definitely an enjoyable read.