Love it! This book starts with great, on which the whole book was centered too. Clara Kelly, the main character, used the identity of a dead girl, who also got the same name, and also who happened to be traveling on the same boat to America.It's a moving story of the life of Irish people and they things they've gone through hoping for a new life in a new land.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy from NetGalley for my unbiased opinion of the book. I loved this book. It was a great fictional tale of how the great Andrew Carnegie became the first true philanthropist. Clara Kelly was a very likable strong woman character and the one chosen from her Irish family to brave the new world. I think because she had the strongest will and composition needed for women of the 1800's traveling to America. A great historical tale for the masses. I will be putting this on the to-read list for my cousin's book club.

Carnegie's Maid is a romantic approach to the tale of the iconic Carnegie family and offers an idea of perhaps why the family turned to philanthropy once they built their wealth. This story also includes a focus on the struggles of immigrants as well as how the Civil War and President Lincoln's assassination impacted people of all classes.

I really liked the juxtaposition of the subservient side of Clara when she is Mrs. Carnegie's maid with her bold businesswoman side when she is sneaking in secret moments with Andrew Carnegie. Furthermore, I liked the innocence of their romance despite the imbalance of power as well as both of their loyalties to their respective families.

My favorite character in this book was Mr. Ford. I would go on further, however, I do not wish to spoil anything. Therefore, I will simply state that his character seemed to be the most generous in that he was generous with his good attitude and generous in doing small good deeds for others.

One of the reasons why I did not give this book 5 stars is because it kind of dragged on at certain points as if length was the goal rather than depth. Another reason is because the antagonist was weak, however, I am not even sure if it is the character that I am thinking of or if the antagonist is supposed to be a group of people. Lastly, I did not care for how Andrew Carnegie conveniently appeared (and appeared quite often) when Clara was alone.

For those who may be triggered or offended: the only things that I could find within the book were poverty, pollution, religious themes, and death.

Please note: an electronic copy of this book was generously provided for free from the publisher via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

"Carnegie’s Maid”, by Marie Benedict is set in the late 1860’s in Pennsylvannia. The story takes us into the home of one of the richest men in the world at that time and probably one of the greatest philanthropists of all time – Andrew Carnegie.

This was the first book I have read by Ms. Benedict. I do have “The Other Einstein” on my reading list. The premise for the story was interesting. The book flowed smoothly and was rich in the details of the period. The plot is revealed through the first person account of Clara Kelley, an Irish immigrant who becomes the “lady’s maid” to Mrs. Carnegie, Andrew’s mother. The disparities among the economist classes of the day were well researched and well written. The juxtaposition of the lavish and extravagant wealthy class and the overwhelming suffering of the poor is clearly evident and well done.

Ms. Benedict is a skilled writer who draws the reader into the protagonist’s story. Her loneliness, isolation, kindness and compassion are all felt keenly. I found myself cheering her on as the plot progressed. The main character’s intelligence and eagerness to learn is unique to the time period. Few women were noticed for their intelligence in business. I would dare say all of the businesses at the time were created and run by men. I admire Ms. Benedict’s creation of such an interesting and intelligent character. We are also given a great deal of information regarding Mr. Andrew Carnegie. I had no idea that such an eligible bachelor did not marry until much later in life. He established more than 2500 public libraries around the world and made countless endowments.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and was totally engrossed in it. It is educational in its presentation of the social classes at the time. At the end I went back and re-read the Prologue which made Andrew’s change of heart so much more powerful. For fans of historical fiction this is a must read.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Ms. Benedict and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Last year I read Marie Benedict's The Other Einstein, a story that focused on Mileva Maric, Albert Einstein's wife, and her own accomplishments and life events. What looked to be a promising book ended up falling a bit flat for me and I didn't find it nearly as enjoyable as I thought it would. I mention this only to say that despite the fascinating premise of Carnegie's Maid, I still felt somewhat hesitant about starting it. All I can say now that I have read it is that Benedict's writing seems to have vastly improved and I really, really enjoyed this one!

Carnegie's Maid centers on a period of life in Clara Kelley's life, from her journey to America from Ireland through her employment as lady's maid to Mrs. Carnegie, mother of the famous Andrew Carnegie. I'll be completely honest and admit that I really didn't know much about the Carnegie family. I've of course heard the name and know the very vaguest bits of information about them, but that's about it, so I was actually rather excited to read a book that might enlighten me.

Clara is a highly intelligent woman, and I'm happy to say that overall I really loved her character. Not only is she intelligent in an academic manner, but she also has so much common sense. It was so refreshing to read about a character like Clara. There were so many instances in this book where Clara could have been too stubborn or outspoken or said something to get in trouble, but she knew to use her brain and avoided those moments! I would say that about ninety-two percent of the books I read feature characters who think, "I know that I should just go along with what they're saying, but gosh, my feelings are just too strong to handle something that would keep me from being thrown out on the street," and thus say the bad thing and get thrown out. Maybe I'm being too dramatic, but let's just say that I found Clara to be a intelligent, and also very complex, character.

This book did indeed deliver on teaching me more about the business of Andrew Carnegie, but it of course focused much more on Clara and how she managed to start an entirely new life on her own, adapt to a new course of work, and even educate herself further with the help of Mr. Carnegie. I appreciated the subtle insight into the gap between the rich, the poor, and the working class, as well as the brief bit that focused on the ongoing Civil War and the struggle for many newly-freed and escaped slaves.

I liked that the romance was so slow-building and didn't just sort of appear out of nowhere, but I almost found it to be a bit too subtle at times. Part of me really liked that, but part of me felt that this book needed more to make the actions of the characters more understandable.

Something that confused me somewhat was that in the beginning of the book (and throughout at times) we are told that Mrs. Carnegie is just an impossibly difficult woman to please and no ladies' maids every make it. But then Clara takes the job and seems to have no problems that I can discern. Mrs. Carnegie does not seem exceptionally demanding or difficult to work for, so I just feel like that part of the story wasn't done as well as it could have been.

The part of this book that frustrated me twas the ending. It was one of those where you turn the page expecting a new chapter, and instead the page says 'Epilogue.' I don't mind open endings or those that leave you wanting more in a good way, but I don't like endings that leave me feeling jilted and like I wasn't fulled finished with the book. Looking back, I see why Benedict ended it where she did and the epilogue does answer some questions, but I was just left feeling like this book didn't fulfill what it was supposed to; it left me asking 'why did I just read this book?' I appreciated that there was an epilogue that helped to fill in some of the leftover gaps, but it just didn't feel quite as smooth as it could have been.

Overall, I've still given Carnegie's Maid four stars. Despite the rather lackluster ending, I really enjoyed this book and reading about this period in history in America.

Thank you Sourcebooks for sending me a free copy and inviting me on the Blog Tour for CARNEGIE'S MAID. 

I rate this book a 3.75 out of 5 stars.

I enjoyed this book. It's one of those reads that is just nice and steady. There wasn't any plot twists or dramatics. Just a well flowing, enjoyable read. The epilogue was fantastic, I won't say why, but I enjoyed it. I really enjoyed the characters and interaction of Andrew and Clara, however his mother drove was not my most favorite, she was snooty, conniving person, who couldn't look past her own desires. But claims to make decisions for the betterment of her children. 

I loved knowing that the author based some of this book on her ancestral history. It added a little something to the story, I think. Like her previous book, The Other Einstein, the writing in this one is very descriptive, and very pretty. I love that she uses bigger words, and words that you don't hear very often. Although, I am not going to lie, I had to look up the definition of a few. 

One thing that I do know for sure, as many years that have passed, even in the 2000's we are still a society that bases a lot of judgement on looks, money, appearance, and material things. Sadly in that aspect not much has changed since the 1800's. In Carnegie's Maid it is very much prevalent that that's how this family worked. The clothes, the home, the friends, the status, the money, that's what mattered most. Slowly Andrew Carnegie changed, and realized that along with making his money, it could also make the world a better place, and could give opportunities to people who truly needed them. It was pretty fascinating to read.

This was a strange combination for me. The author, Marie Benedict, put in backstory, yet the book came across as shallow with no true feel of the characters. There with too much repetition and filler to the point that I wondered if this would have been a better short story than a full-length novel.

Andrew Carnegie is best known for being one of the richest men in America having made his fortune by leading the expansion of the steel industry, and towards the end of his life he was a leading philanthropist.

Marie Benedict’s book has been written as a fictional account of how this man was moved to better the lives of others when his early years had been spent focussed on lining his own pockets. To do so she looked at her own ancestors and imagined a young, bright Irish girl becoming a Lady’s Maid to Margaret Carnegie, Andrew’s mother.

We first meet Clara Kelly in December 1868 as her journey across the Atlantic is coming to a close and she’s got to find a way to get to her relatives in Pittsburgh. Clara despite being the second child of her parents has been sent to America to provide a ‘Plan B’ for the family since their leased farm is being carved up following the potato famine and now there are real concerns that the Landlord has it in for Clara’s father.

The premise to the book where a farmer’s daughter ends up being a Lady’s Maid is a great vehicle for studying the man at the centre of the book, Andrew Carnegie. It don’t think it’s a spoiler to say that there is a relationship of sorts between Clara and Andrew, after all both were immigrants, Andrew moving the US from Scotland when he was barely in his teens. With the Carnegie family coming recently to wealth the need to never descend into poverty again is one of their key drivers for continued success. I’m pleased to say that the author doesn’t skimp on the less than moral and perhaps legal actions of this great business leader either before his later transformation into someone who champions the education of all.

It’s also nice that this book is populated by strong and intelligent women. Margaret Carnegie, whilst maintaining a tight grip on her household is also very much involved in her son’s business and Clara is also keen to learn more about business as the book progresses.

This is a heavily fictionalised account and shouldn’t be read as anything other than that but that doesn’t stop it being a fascinating insight into the lives of immigrants to America during and after the American Civil War. The descriptions of life both in Ireland and Pittsburgh make for illuminating reading especially the lives of Clara’s distant relations Patrick and Maeve who bring up an ever growing brood in a small and dirty ramshackle home. Patrick working at the Iron foundry whilst Maeve takes in needlework to be completed by poor light in the evenings. By contrast Clara’s efforts to become indispensable in the Carnegie household may mean long hours brushing hair, cleaning and darning clothes but she lives in luxurious surroundings although I pitied her the lack of friends apart from the former slave Mr Ford within the almost prison-like existence.

A fascinating historical tale which is indeed one explanation for Andrew Carnegie’s transformation into one of the best known philanthropists with the book ending with the opening of the free library in Boston built by Andrew Carnegie.

I’d like to thank the publishers Landmark for providing me with a copy of Carnegie’s Maid ahead of publication date of the 16 January 2017.

Thank you to NetGalley for advanced read. I think generally I'm not a big fan of historical fiction when the main character was a high profile individual. The story just seemed implausible to me. It also moved along very slow.

Clara Kelley, a poor Irish immigrant, arrives to Philadelphia in 1863 with a vague plan and hope for finding employment and housing. Her family's survival in Ireland is dependent upon it. When an opportunity at the docks to travel to Pittsburg and find work arrives Clara takes it. However, it comes at a cost. She will be stepping into a role meant for another who passed away during the voyage.

To Clara's surprise, she becomes a Lady's Maid to Mrs. Carnegie. Having grown up on a farm and educated by her father she has never before served in this capacity - but the original Clara Kelley has. And so Clara quickly learns what is expected of her and strives to exceed them. She is determined to secure her position and station in life.

As Clara becomes adjusted to her new life she meets Andrew Carnegie, Mrs. Carnegie's eldest son. I believe that Andrew sees a kindred spirit in Clara and due to this their friendship grows. Andrew is a complicated man. He is fiercely intelligent and clearly charming, compassionate and kind. Yet he is also ruthless in business and prone to believing he is always right. This combination makes for a fascinating dynamic between he and Clara. What really interested me was seeing how they both forced the other to think in different ways. And how that changed each's view of their lives.

While visiting her cousin and his family in the poor housing/area of Pittsburg, Clara becomes aware of the disparity of wealth in the US and the consequences this has upon the people. While striving to secure her position in life she believes that opportunities for success shouldn't just lie with the wealthy. As she and Andrew move forward with their friendship, Clara forces him to see the reality of his business practices. She is

When Clara's initial decision upon arrival to the US comes to light - she is forced to make a decision. A decision that once again changes her own path forward. I loved Clara! She is loyal, ambitious and stands up for what she truly believes in. She is also human and struggles with the hierarchy of serving in a wealthy home. Her position sets her apart from the other servants. With few friendships in the house, and a family an ocean away I can only imagine how difficult it would be. However, she continues to move forward and strive to improve her and her family's position while also looking out for her fellow servant and friend Mr. Ford and her cousin and his family. She is simply an incredible woman, who followed her own principles and in doing so changed Andrew Carnegie's outlook on wealth.

I really enjoyed this story and devoured it within a day. I would highly recommend it, particularly if you appreciate stories about strong, independent women changing their piece of the world!

I received an e- ARC of this story from Sourcebook via Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions expressed are mine.

It's the mark of a good work of historical fiction when it's hard to tell what is fact and what is fiction. I found myself totally forgetting this is a work of fiction, so seamlessly did the author blend facts of the era with her fictional characters. The writing is excellent and the characters are authentic and believable. The descriptions of the settings are vivid and give the reader a real sense of the surroundings.

The story of Clara and Andrew is bittersweet and though I was hoping for a different ending, I realize that wouldn't have coincided with the factual side of the story. I loved that Clara is portrayed as a strong, intelligent woman who makes necessary sacrifices but doesn't let them defeat her.

I enjoyed reading this book and predict many others will too!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for allowing me to read and review an advance copy of this book!

I was totally engrossed from the very beginning of this story. It was a quick and easy read that I looked forward to picking up every day. I loved learning a little bit about the plight of so many immigrants who made this great country what it is and a little about the post-Civil War freeing of slaves and their difficulties in reuniting with family members. Ms. Benedict wove that history perfectly into this story. I knew very little of the Carnegie family and was excited to learn a little bit about them, and Ms. Benedict left me with a desire to learn more about them. She handled the unethical business practices of that time with honesty and reality as the reader could relate to the internal struggle of those types of choices.

I don't always love fictional accounts mixed with history, but this one really worked for me. I could truly believe something like this story could have happened to change Andrew Carnegie's purpose in life.

Author - 1⭐
Story - 1⭐
Ending - 1⭐
Offensiveness - 1⭐
Recommend - 1⭐

Such a fun novel! It’s a great historical read for empowering women in a time that we greatly need it. 4 glowing stars.

I really enjoyed this book! Simple, sweet and heartbreaking. As someone who works at a Carnegie library I like to think that someone like Clara could have inspired him. Great idea for a historical fiction book.

Clara Kelley leaves her Irish home and sails to America. Her goal is to find work and save enough money for passage to Pittsburgh to live with distant family. Once she arrives, someone she doesn’t know calls her name to board a carriage to Pittsburgh. With no other options, Clara climbs aboard and begins her life in America.
Once Clara arrives in Pittsburgh, she is sent to Mrs. Seeley. Mrs. Seeley’s job is to find domestic positions for the wealthy families in Pittsburgh. Unfortunately, everyone believes Clara Kelley is another girl by the same name, a young woman who died on the passage to America. Our Clara becomes the dead girl and finds herself a lady’s maid to Mrs. Carnegie.
Clara is swept into the world of the Pittsburgh wealthy. She attends to her mistress’s needs and accompanies her on all outings. Clara learns the business of the Carnegie’s, immigrants themselves who started in the poor lower class and made their way into the upper class. She charts the businesses and tries to learn all she can while supporting her family in Ireland.
When Mr. Carnegie stumbles upon Clara’s studies in the library, he sees she has a wonderful mind and has made business connects he never thought of before. Together, they invest in business ventures and begin to develop a relationship. But this relationship becomes difficult, as it is between people of two separate worlds. And Clara still has a duty to help her family.
I really enjoyed this book. I loved Clara as a narrator and her struggle to learn how to be a lady’s maid under false pretenses. It really brought light to the struggle of immigrants to the States (my own family were immigrants during WWII). Clara sees the struggle of her relatives both in Pittsburgh and in Ireland, she also sees the extravagant living of the wealthy. She just got lucky.
I love the business mind of Clara as she tries to do what Andrew Carnegie did, to invest and make money. Her objective is to support her family back home, stripped of their land. She is bright and understanding.
The blossoming romance between Andrew and Clara is interesting. Of course, it was inappropriate as servant and master. But they both helped and changed each other for the good.

Carnegie's Maid receives 4 stars.

Carnegie's Maid by Marie Benedict is an awesome historical novel. Based on fact, the reader is treated to a cracking story.
To me, Andrew Carnegie was just a name of someone long gone. Carnegie's Maid has educated me to see the man behind the name.
The novel is written in the first person from the point of view of Clara, Carnegie's mother's maid. Both Clara and Carnegie's mother were poor immigrants, one from Ireland, one from Scotland. They both rose or fell using their own wits. They both cared deeply for their family and would do anything for them, although their methods differed.
Education brings freedom. In a land where the civil war was fought over freedom and the issue of slavery, no man can be truly free without education. Education must be available to all.
The novel has a huge social conscience. For some, money is a god. "No idol more debasing than the worship of money." Money on a pedestal is harmful. Money must be used wisely. Money brings choice. We must be good stewards of our money.
The leading ladies have both received education to survive in a man's world. "Your father educated you to think like a man." One lady uses her mind to help others. The other merely wishes to rise through the ranks and to keep the wolves from her door. Society can be a hard master and fickle - letting in only those who are useful and of benefit.
We all play roles in life. Basing our foundation on a lie surely means that sooner or later, we are destined to fall.
The leading lady is very much a modern woman in the mid nineteenth century with her business acumen, social conscience and education. She brings out the best in others and opens eyes to the plight of the poor.
Carnegie's Maid is an epic read. It educates the reader at the same time as entertaining. Andrew Carnegie is no longer just a name. He is a fully rounded person with a good heart.
Marie Benedict always writes novels that open the reader's eyes to famous historical figures. They became living, breathing figures that it is a pleasure to get to know.
Carnegie's Maid is a fabulous read and one that will remain long after the book is ended.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

As would be expected from Ms. Benedict, with her previous book <i>The Other Einstein</i>, this was an pleasurable read at the same time it was informative.

The fictional part presented by the author fits so perfectly with the historical personage of Andrew Carnegie that one must wonder if the story isn't an accurate one!

Historical fiction, romance, and a lot of fun. You'll want to add this to your libraries.

A delightful book for historical fiction fans and for strong women everywhere. What happens when your station in life conflicts with the love of your life? Book clubs and readers will be discussing this long after the last word is read.

VERDICT: Superb portrait of the US in the 1860s. A beautiful homage to immigrants, to the love of learning, and to libraries.
As a lover of books, I assume you are one if you landed on my book blog, you have probably entered a Carnegie library at least once in your life.
The first to offer free access to libraries for all, Andrew Carnegie was an important figure in the life of the author’s ancestors. In Carnegie’s Maid, Marie Benedict uses the skills she demonstrated in The Other Einstein to try to shed light on the transformation of the man, from a “tycoon, long-rumored to be heartless”, into “the world’s first philanthropist”.
She followed some historians’ theory that his metamorphosis may have been inspired by a personal relationship.

The book opens in 1868, with Andrew Carnegie writing a letter and trying to honor the memory of a certain Clara.
We then follow Clara from November 1863 to April 1867.
To help her desperate family losing farm land and fearing starvation in Ireland, a 19 year old crosses the Ocean in 42 days to find a job in Pennsylvania. Having no technical skills to offer, despite the excellent education she received at home, rare at the time for young girls, she uses her cleverness and ends up being hired as a lady’s maid at the service of Mrs Carnegie.
A smart observer, “elegant in her thinking” (chapter 15), she will straddle the difficult gap between servants and masters and do all she can to save her family. How will she manage, at what cost?
This is actually a superb portrait of life in the US in the 1860s, with all that’s going on:
the aftermath and impact of the Civil War, with the industrial forces at play
industrialization, with its horrors and filth; business dealings, iron, railway, telegraph; investing
the evolving situation of slaves
the difficult relationships between Catholics and Protestants
the situation also in Ireland
the circumstances of immigrants
the relationships between servants and masters, how downstairs and upstairs can or cannot mingle.

Mr Andrew Carnegie is presented as a complex character, difficult to understand. His evolution and his inner struggles made total sense. His relationship with Clara is shown with a lot of balance. This is NOT a historical romance, the author managed skillfully to avoid a possible trap.
I don’t want to give away anything. The book is smartly built, with a constant tension with dangers looming in Clara’s family, with the possibilities of losing her position, and the risks in her relationships with the Carnegie’s family, and how she uses her mind to come up with a solution, whatever the price.
I also enjoyed a lot the character of John Ford, the cook, a former slave.
The book is ultimately a homage to libraries, to books and to the love of learning in order to succeed in life and help others. We see the importance of books in the education and evolution of Clara and of the Carnegies.

Just as Marie Benedict gave voice to the unrecognized Mrs Einstein, here through a woman with a strong character, she superbly gives “voice to the otherwise silent stories of the thousands of immigrants who built our country. Then and now”.

New this month: Carnegie's Maid
**** 4.5 stars: Carnegie's Maid is historically insightful, touching and moving. The best book I've read this year!



Recommended readers:

If you like Juliana Gray or Diana Gabaldon
If you want a good mix of great characters, history and more
If you like historical fiction
Here's my Rankings:

5/5 for characters
4/5 for plot
4.5/5 overall
REVIEW FROM BOOKS FOR HER:
Immigrant Clara Kelly arrives in America off a boat from Ireland. She shared a dirty, crammed steerage area with hundreds of others filled with disease and fear. Her family's last hope, she's been sent to America to find a better life. So when circumstances push her into the Carnegie home - as the lady of the house's maid - she does what's best.

In the fight for a better life at the end of Civil War America, Carnegie's Maid is historically insightful, touching and moving - all while sharing a peak into a revolutionary family's fascinating history and the potential inspiration behind one of America's greatest businessmen and philanthropist. Carnegie's Maid is a fascinating mix of history with a uniquely personal feel. It's a great read for nearly any historical fan.

New this month: Carnegie's Maid