This book is certainly an interesting take on Andrew Carnegie. I did not realize going in that the Clara character was made up. I am still on the fence as to how I feel about that.

This interesting piece of historical fiction seems to have generated commentary far past what I suspect was the author's intent. Clara is a well drawn character- a poor woman who finds herself in the home of an industrialist as a lady's maid. Don't read too much into how Benedict has portrayed Andrew Carnegie and you'l enjoy this more. His motivation to become a philanthropist may or may not have been a woman like Clara but does that really matter in this context? Some will say it does but frankly, this is a short novel as much about about poverty, class, and 1850s Pittsburgh as it is about Carnegie. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is part of the subgenre of novels about women, often fictional, associated with famous men. If you like those, you'll enjoy this.

As an avid user of the Carnegie Public Library, and a recent discoverer of Pittsburgh and all the gems that it has available to people, I found some of the content of this book to be informative. However, the writing seemed geared toward a YA audience rather than adults. It absolutely should have been marketed as a YA book and there were moments where I felt the way the author was writing, it was almost insulting to the reader. I feel this could have been an amazing story and it just fell flat and became boring and almost torture to try and finish. I will admit that I was unable to finish the book [though I read the last few chapters to see how it ended, and even that fell completely flat for me - there was a lot of unanswered questions and I felt that the end was just a quick way to try and wrap things up. It was unsuccessful, in my opinion] and I don't really feel bad about it; I wanted to love it this book more than I did [or could]. It had such a great premise and ideology, but fell completely flat in its presentation and execution.

3.75 Stars

I read Marie Benedict's previous outing, The Other Einstein, with dissatisfaction that was probably borne of her lack of understanding of collegial work and intellectual attributions in the sciences and her overstating Mileva Maric's contributions to Einstein's Theory of Relativity for dramatic effect. (Once again, even if Mileva's discussions with Albert contributed substantially to his solving the relativity issue, she should have been credited for her contributions- there was no need to fabricate a situation in which he stole an idea of hers when clearly she never showed independent work in this particular area. With her math skills and his interest, she impacted his work and deserved full credit for her contribution. That contribution and its recognition was worth a book, right there.) Still, in spite of my dissatisfaction, Benedict is a capable writer and I wanted to read something of hers in which I was less vested. Being of Irish descent myself, and having ancestors that made their way to the US about the same time as Benedict's protagonist Clara Kelly, I was intrigued by what this book might have to offer about the Irish immigrant experience in the mid-1800's.

I'm happy to report that I find Carnegie's Maid is an all-around better book. The premise of the book centers on the stimulus for Andrew Carnegie's becoming a philanthropist and famous builder of public libraries. The reason behind his becoming a keen philanthropist remains a mystery to this day. Benedict provides us with an interesting idea- that it was a woman who influenced him and specifically, a woman from the social class from which he originally stemmed. For romance junkies out there, it's important to note that rather than being a conventional romance, this is a novel of the realities of social classes of the period, how difficult it was to gain purchase on a higher class, especially by marriage, and how ill-regarded the nouveau riche were. Relationships between the upper classes and the servant class never ended well. But here, that's not much of a worry. Stealing the identity of another Clara Kelly in order to get a ride and potential work in Pittsburgh, the heroine of this tale keeps her family, who are in dire straits, ever to the fore of her thoughts. She does so unfailingly. The view of Irish poverty both at home and in the US, as seen through Clara's eyes, is harrowing.

Andrew Carnegie is, in Benedict's hands, by turns a rather cutthroat businessman and a man struggling to remember his lean start in life. Born in a one-room weaver's cottage in Scotland, he and his parents emigrated to the US on borrowed funds and he eeked out a grinding living at the age of 13, working 12 hours a day, six days a week, in a Pittsburgh bobbin factory, Carnegie rose to be the wealthiest man in America and in acts of stunning philanthropy, donated an estimated 90% of his accumulated wealth to various libraries, universities, and foundations by the time of his death.

As I finished the book, I have to say that I thought that one likely conclusion about Andrew Carnegie's desire to provide access to books and education for the public was simply what that same access had meant to his mother, Margaret, who as even Benedict pointed out, read often and widely once she had access to books in the US. What greater way to honor his mother than with this legacy of free and public access to books and the education they provide.

There were various details that I thought stretched my imagination about the degree of contact between Andrew and Clara, or even simple details about things like whether it would be a lady's maid serving at dinner in a pinch, vs. a housemaid, or whether the lady's maid would hold the chatelaine versus the housekeeper. But let it all go and have a fun read. It may make you, like me, want to pick up a biography of Carnegie, or read about Irish immigrants in America.

Review on Amazon will be posted on or around the publication date.

Clara Kelley, a recent immigrant and newly hired ladies’ maid in the Carnegie household captures Andrew Carnegie’s heart and captured mine almost immediately with her ingenuity and reinvention. The two of them together? Magic and fireworks.

Clara is a wonderful character - smart and industrious. She and Andrew first meet in the family library and based on their love of books, a mutual respect and admiration grows. According to the author, historians had theorized that a personal relationship may have changed Carnegie so she took that thought and ran with it, creating the fascinating Clara.

Another highlight of the book for me was Clara and her sister Eliza’s series of written letters. Clara’s poor Irish family had only enough money to send one of their children to America to make a new life and Clara is chosen. Through the course of the book, the girls’ back and forth letters are peppered into the story. Beautifully written and tugged at my heart. Clara’s helplessness was palpable.

Benedict did much research in creating this book, providing an honest look at the lives of ‘domestics’, the challenges of hardworking immigrants and the clear division of poor vs. wealthy. The historical details are fascinating and has made me more curious about business magnate and philanthropic Andrew Carnegie’s life, a man who himself was once a poor immigrant who began work at the age of 12 as a bobbin boy in a cotton factory and went on to change the lives of many thousands of people and become arguably the richest man in the world.
*will add to additional online venues on publication.

3.5

Carnegie's Maid tells the story of Clara Kelly, an Irish immigrant, who comes to America with the hopes of securing a job that will bring in enough money that she can send to her family. By some truly extraordinary circumstances, Clara lands the job of being the lady's maid to Mrs. Carnegie. It's in this position that she meets Mrs. Carnegie's eldest son Andrew. Andrew and Clara form a tentative bond over the fact that the Carnegies are immigrants themselves, like Clara, and have worked their way up the echelons of society to where they are at the beginning of the book. They further bond over discussions of Andrew's various business endeavors. As their friendship blossoms into something more, despite the difference in their stations, and Andrew begins to take Clara's business suggestions into consideration with much success and eventually lays the groundwork for Andrew becoming one of the world's most highly regarded philanthropists.

I really thought that Carnegie's Maid had such a wonderful premise. What's the saying? "Behind every great man there's a great woman" or something along those lines? It's an idea that I've read before, or seen on the big screen. The influence, the muse, for some great work and / or achievement. The idea is sound. The glimpse we get behind the scenes of a young Andrew Carnegie as he rises in the ranks and see how certain business decisions come to fruition is really fascinating. Carnegie's Maid goes a long way to show the differences between the classes, and the difficult time immigrants in particular had in coming to a new land, a new home, and making a suitable living for themselves and their families.

Unfortunately, I didn't feel the weight of the relationship between Clara and Andrew as much as I feel I should have. I'm not strictly speaking about romance, but the fact, as the book tries to convince readers, that Clara had such a profound impact on Andrew that it pretty much literally changed his life and how he ended up conducting himself just felt a little flat for me.

I love the idea that Marie Benedict has with this book and its predecessor The Other Einstein being told from the female perspective. Here, however, I felt like it would have benefited from having some instances told from Andrew's perspective as well. Carnegie's Maid deals a lot with the idea of wearing "masks", of trying to be someone else in order to fit in. The Carnegies surely did this as they integrated themselves into high society and moved up the ladder in business, and Clara does this as she tries to find her place as Mrs. Carnegie's lady's maid. Her feelings are further compounded as she and Andrew begin their relationship. If he's serious about his feelings, where could Clara possibly fit in the life he and his family have built for themselves. That was one of the problems for me was in identifying if indeed Andrew Carnegie's feelings were real or just another mask. Did he just enjoy having someone to bounce his ideas off of that would praise his business acumen? We do see a disparity in how he acts towards Clara when she opposes him. It's clear that these are issues that Clara herself has to determine, I just think by the end her decisions are more dictated for her rather than made by her regardless that they're probably ultimately the right ones. I wanted to feel like Andrew Carnegie's actions were more genuine.

Overall, I enjoyed the story. It's a quick and easy read. The beginning of the book starts at the end, of sorts, so the rest of the book is driving towards that moment, waiting for the timelines to meet up. I think this book would appeal to lovers of historical fiction.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC for my Kindle.
The book sounded interesting and started out really good, but the ending was rushed.
It was very interesting to learn about the Carnegies, and how they obtained their fortune.
The maid and son relationship was a story similar to Jane Eyre, and their relationship ended how I expected. But once the maid left the employment of the Carnegies, there were too many years that weren't covered until she retired. Also, I would have liked to have known more about what happened to the maid's family that she left behind in Ireland. If the story wasn't so rushed towards the end, I would have enjoyed it more.

This was a well written, fast-paced, historical fiction book about the Carnegie family and their advancement from being immigrants to being powerhouses during the industrial revolution. It is told in the perspective of Clara Kelly, an immigrant that works as the ladies maid to the matriarch of the family. There is a bit of a love story thrown in along with the detailed descriptions of the immigrants and how they suffered during this period. The author, Marie Benedict, does a good job blending actual research with purely fictitious storylines to produce a book that is both informative and enjoyable. The format of short chapters that draw the reader to read just a few more pages, then just a few more, enticed me to read the entire book in one evening.

Clara Kelly steps of the boat Envy, from Ireland and now emigrating to America. A woman of the same name and from the same area of Ireland is also expected, our Clara takes the initiative and travels to Pittsburgh to become a Lady’s maid to Mrs. Carnegie, mother to Andrew a business man who will go on to become the wealthiest man in the world.

While the initial premise of this book sounds great, I did find that the idea of a Irish farmers daughter being able to pull off the skilled role of a lady’s maid somewhat unbelievable, but I actually put that aside and just enjoyed the story, this was quite interesting. Clara spends a lot of time with her employer and builds up a friendship with her son. I found a lot of details on the Carnegie family that I was unaware of in this book. I didn’t know much about the family before I started this story, but by the end I found a huge amount of detail had been added as part of the story. It did spark an interest and I found myself reading further on the internet, so I can also now add that the author has done her research well.

So, as well as the research and information given on the Carnegies, there were also some other nice details for social etiquette and status of the time especially when on a visit to New York. The characters of Clara, Andrew and Mrs. Carnegie have been developed very well. This book has a nice steady pace, and has some inclusion of famous historical events that help keep the feel of the era it is set in.

This is a good read that would appeal to readers of historical fiction, American History with social and economic elements from 1860’s America and Ireland included. I did feel there were some discrepancies with the way Clara could have got this job, but I read this as more of a fiction book than a historically accurate fictionalised one.

When I first saw Carnegie's Maid as an upcoming release on NetGalley, I immediately took note of the author's name--Marie Benedict. Earlier this year, I read and thoroughly enjoyed Benedict's previous novel, The Other Einstein, and although I was utterly clueless about the history of the Carnegie family, I knew that Benedict's writing and diligent research into her subject matter would make this a book worth reading.

Although Carnegie's Maid invents a completely fictional character in that of Clara Kelley and The Other Einstein utilized only real people as characters, I still found that I was able to garner a wealth of information about Andrew Carnegie and the business dealings that led to his success as one of the richest men in history.

The premise of the book itself is a bit far-fetched, for sure. Clara Kelley journeys to America in order to secure a job that will help her family back in Ireland. Upon her arrival, she is mistaken for another woman with the same exact name who journeyed to America on the same exact ship but died during its passage. Clara is taken to Mrs. Seeley, a woman who places young women in the service of Philadelphia's wealthy, under the assumption that she is the Clara Kelley expected, and she is placed in the service of the Carnegie family as Mrs. Carnegie's lady's maid. Clara's inexperience in that particular line of work would have meant failure in most other young women, but due to Clara's fortitude and intelligence, she adapts quickly and succeeds in her mission to become indispensable to Mrs. Carnegie. She also develops an intellectual relationship with the eldest Carnegie son, Andrew, that soon develops into an emotional connection that Clara refuses to acknowledge for fear of jeopardizing the critical financial assistance she is able to provide her family back in Ireland.

As with Marie Benedict's The Other Einstein, I found Carnegie's Maid to be a perfect read for those who enjoy learning more about important figures in history. The research Benedict did into the lives of the Carnegie family and the details of the time period was obviously extensive, and the influence that Clara had on their lives, although completely fictional, fit into the story in believable ways. Carnegie's Maid is much heavier on historical details and factual insights into Andrew Carnegie's life and businesses than it is on dramatic action, and I found myself easily able to imagine the landscape, both physical and societal, of the Philadelphia of the mid-1800s.

In addition, I found Clara's character to be incredibly interesting. Her work ethic and strength in the face of adversity was more than admirable--it was inspiring. Clara's desire to make more of her life than her birth into a family of Irish tenant farmers might have dictated during her time and her dedication to helping her family by sacrificing her own desires was clear throughout the book. Readers will find themselves rooting for her success. As history dictates, her ending is not necessarily the fairy tale one that readers will hope for, but that isn't to say that this book is not full of hope.

My only complaint about Clara's character would be minor--her internal conversations about her need to maintain her position for her family's sake began to get somewhat tedious with their frequency. Although I understood her worries and the idea that they would be at the forefront of her mind, I did feel somewhat that I was reminded of them a bit too often. In addition, Clara's story is one that is worth reading, but readers should also be aware that Carnegie's Maid is very heavy on descriptions of Andrew Carnegie's business dealings. As someone who was completely ignorant of those dealings prior to reading this book, I found myself a bit confused at times; however, I also found myself learning a great deal. Readers who are looking for a heavily romantic story will be disappointed; Clara and Andrew's relationship does not veer into romantic territory much, and once it does, the details and length are sparse. Instead, Carnegie's Maid is very much more the story of the value found in hard work and developing one's intellect through access to information, which is a cause that Andrew Carnegie championed during his life. Benedict's novel seeks to answer the question of what (or who) caused Carnegie's attitude toward business to shift from one of cutthroat advancement to selfless giving, and I found Clara Kelley to be a beautifully crafted answer.

As soon as I started the book, I couldn’t put it down but I honestly have to say that I wanted a different ending…

Clara Kelley comes to America with pre-planned destination but through a case of mistaken identity, she attains a better job with nicer living conditions as Mrs. Carnegie’s personal maid. Clara misses her home, yearns for news about her family and longs for Ireland.

Clara works hard to assume her new role to ensure she maintains her place in the Carnegie home. Her family is desperately counting on the money she sends.

She can’t help but notice the people living within these opulent surroundings don’t have a carefree existence. They are striving to fit into a society that looks down upon them. They are vying for their mother’s affections and always trying to come up with the next great business idea. It’s not what Clara would have surmised.

Andrew Carnegie spies his mother’s maid reading a book in the library. Instead of chastising her, he encourages her to keep reading the books and slowly they develop a friendship. It’s a friendship that had it been discovered, would have been detrimental to them both. They yearn to spend time with one another and if things were different they might have loved one another forever.

I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This novel was engaging and easy to read, but I was disappointed it didn't include more about the Carnegie empire. It was a quick and satisfying read, the story was entertaining. This novel will satisfy readers looking for a light read that transports to another era. It did convey the feel of the times. I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Goodreads link: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2215891458

As a resident of the Pittsburgh area and an avid user of the Carnegie Public Library, I found the content of this book to be engaging and informative. However, the writing seemed geared toward a YA audience rather than adults. I will still reference and recommend it to my students, but I wanted to love it more than I did.

I enjoyed Marie Benedict's first historical-fiction novel "The Other Einstein" and that, combined with the fact that I grew up around Pittsburgh, PA where everyone knows the Carnegie name, had me determined to read Benedict's "Carnegie's Maid".

This, too, was an enjoyable read. Perhaps the reader must suspend belief at the circumstances of how Clara Kelly came to be placed into service in the Carnegie home; but that 'glitch' was easy for me to overlook given the author's rich descriptions of life in Pittsburgh during the time-period, particularly with the well-defined differences in classes. Benedict's capacity to put the reader in the characters' shoes and relate to the lives of the characters is a gift.

At times a bit slow, I would still say this was worth the time.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks/Landmark Publishers for providing me with an e-ARC of the book. The thoughts reflected in this review are strictly my own

I love history and historical fiction. I wanted to love this book. But I just couldn't. It's a short novel, and should have been a quick read, but for me it just seemed to drag. Set mostly in the 1860's, it's a "what-if" novel - what if Andrew Carnegie, Scottish immigrant who rose to be a renowned businessman and endower of public libraries, met a woman, an Irish maid, who helped him become the man who would provide those libraries for the common man. If you can believe that a maid, who is herself living a lie, would fall in love with her employer, deliver wrathful 2017 style lectures on wealth redistribution and economic inequality, and be the catalyst for him to open free libraries for the common folk, you may love this book. Unfortunately, it just missed the mark for me. But I did enjoy the look at the lifestyle of the century, the plight of many immigrants, and the pluck of the heroine. Probably a 3.5 story, rounded down because of the forced and clunky dialogue and slow pace. Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the arc - I am grateful for the glimpse into the life of Andrew Carnegie, his mother, and that era in general.

Set in the late 1800 in Pittsburgh, this book takes you back in time when the rich had maids and servants, when they traveled in private train cars and made an obscene amount of money.

Clara is fresh off the boat. She lies her way into a position as Lady’s Maid for Mrs. Carnegie, Andrew Carnegie’s mother. Clara is smart and quick on her feet. She must be to create the life her parents intended. However, she has an attraction to Andrew Carnegie as a mentor. This attraction grows stronger the more they are together and could possibly bring down Clara’s house of cards.

The setting of the book is fabulous. The wealth, the poverty and the struggle to survive life, I felt like I was inside the pages with Clara. I also loved how much I learned reading this tale. I was researching Carnegie, Pittsburgh and NYC. I love historical fiction because I always learn something.

I am having trouble with this review. Basically, because I enjoyed the book so much, but there are some problems. I think the author glorified Carnegie a little too much. She created a very sincere and kind man and I am not sure he was as kind as she made him out to be. He did make his fortune on the backs and deaths of many workers. This is briefly touched on but I felt it should be expanded on more. Yes, it is a fiction book and he was a great philanthropist, but he also treated his factory workers poorly.

Marie Benedict is an expert on research. Her stories are vivid and memorable. I do love this book, I just felt it could have been more realistic.

I received this novel from the publisher via Netgalley for a honest review.

This book starts with an unbelievable premise, on which the whole plot hangs. Clara Kelly assumes the identity of a dead girl with the same name who happened to be traveling on the same boat to America. It gives you a good taste of the trials of the Irish immigrant and is a reminder how American prejudice used to be directly squarely at the Irish Catholics.

The book reminds me in some ways of Jane Eyre and other books from the period that looked to have love bridge the social gap between rich and poor. But it’s not giving anything away to say there’s no happy ending here.

While the story here is interesting, I didn’t find the main character to be compelling or believable. I just didn’t engage fully with Clara. We’re meant to believe that a ladies maid is the impetus behind Carnegie’s funding of the public libraries he founded. We’re also meant to believe that some of Carnegie’s business ideas were actually Clara’s. I found her character to be more device than real.

Carnegie’s story is interesting, however, especially how he made his money. Benedict doesn’t try to whitewash his tactics, including insider trading. At times, I wished the story were more directly about him. Benedict does her best job at painting Mrs. Carnegie. A true rarity in her day, she was a shrewd businesswoman but socially insecure.

The parts in enjoyed most are the details about the times and social mores. The necessity of a chatelaine to help ladies prone to fainting because of their tight corsets is an excellent example. And Benedict shines when she contrasts the wealth of the Carnegies and their friends to the lot of the poor in Ireland and Pittsburgh.

This book will appeal to those who favor historical romance.

My thanks to netgalley and Landmark Sourcebooks for an advance copy of this novel.

A case of mistaken identity leads to an young Irish woman unexpectedly landing a job as a lady's maid with the Carnegies. This Gilded Age tale, complete with the inherent tension between "upstairs" privilege and "downstairs" duty, captivated me.

A young Irish girl leaves for America expecting to find work as a common laborer instead thanks to fate she ends up becoming a ladies maid for the famed Carnegie family. Her fictional story is told by author Marie Benedict. Benedict expert crafts a believable tale and allows the reader to believe that Clara Kelley and did influence Andrew Carnegie which lead to his becoming one of America's greatest philanthropists.

The one downside of her novel is it is a bit predictable but not terribly so.

Recommend.

Review written after downloading a galley from NetGalley.

Carnegie's Maid is historical fiction at its best. I was instantly gripped by the characters in this book and their extraordinary story of survival.

Clara is immigrating to America to find work to help support her family back home. Without a prospect of a husband she is chosen from her three sisters to make the arduous trip to America in the hull of a steamer ship. Upon arriving in America she makes it through a harrowing day of customs and happens upon a man holding a sign with her name on it.

Clara is supposed to be headed to the slums to live with distant relatives, so she is shocked to see a coach waiting for her. With nothing more than a sack with a couple of belongings and the dress on her back she boards the coach with two other girls. Clara soon learns that they have the wrong girl and presumes the Clara they are seeking must have died on the ship.

Rather than pass up a chance at employment Clara doesn't say anything. Instead she listens to the other two girls and finds she is headed to an employment agency and will be dispatched to work in a home. Clara couldn't have wished for a better opportunity.

Once at the agency Clara must make up a tale of why she is dressed so raggedly and accept a more appropriate dress that the cost will come out of her pay. Clara is a quick learner and thankful for the education her father gave her and her sisters. She soon learns that education will serve her well in this new world she happened upon.

Clara is taken to the Carnegie estate where she is to be the ladies maid for Mrs. Carnegie. Mrs. Carnegie has gone through several ladies maids and Clara's agency doesn't have much hope for her working out, but they've under estimated Clara's ingenuity and ability to deceive.

Clara quickly figures out her role and excels at it. This allows her to send money home and have a safe room to stay in. When Mrs. Carnegie's son, Andrew, returns home from business he is soon smitten with Clara. Clara quickly learns from Andrew that the Carnegies are newly immigrated to America and trying to find their place in society. It wasn't that long ago that the Carnegies weren't rich and were not living in the conditions they are now.

A romance soon buds between Clara and Andrew, but Mrs. Carnegie must not find out. What would high society think of her son in love with a ladies maid?!

Carnegie's Maid is a must read if you love historical fiction. I loved all the details from that time in history, the characters and their story. I haven't read a lot of historical fiction that was from the point of view of the household help which made this book intriguing.