Clara Kelley needed to help her family financially since their 20-acre farm in Ireland was slowly being sold to pay their bills.

The best place her father thought she could be of help was in America. Since she was educated and not really suited to be a farmer's wife, off to America she went in search of work, but she was not sure why it was to be in servitude.

Clara made it across the ocean and into the household of the Carnegie family in Pittsburgh. She became the lady's maid for Mrs. Carnegie.

While there, Mrs. Carnegie's son, Andrew, became enamored with Clara because of her intelligence and love of reading. They always talked about books and having a library that is free to the public and the working man.

CARNEGIE'S MAID takes us through the everyday life of Andrew Carnegie, his brother, Tom, and their mother as they build their fortune. Andrew Carnegie was very philanthropic in his latter years.

This was the first book I have read by Ms. Benedict. Ms. Benedict has a beautiful, pull-you-in writing style. I enjoyed her prologue explaining why she wanted to write about the Carnegies.

CARNEGIE'S MAID flowed smoothly and had perfect detail. I live in Pittsburgh and enjoyed hearing the names of towns and streets.

CARNEGIE'S MAID kept me interested and engaged in the story line. It was an excellent read even though the maid Andrew fell in love with and the woman who influenced him is fictitious.

A thoroughly enjoyable book for historical fiction fans and those who want to learn about Andrew Carnegie. 5/5

This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by the publisher and NetGalley in return for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Carnegie’s Maid, Marie Benedict, author; Alana Kerr Collins, narrator
This is the fictional story of Andrew Carnegie and Clara Kelley. When Clara disembarked from the ship taking her to America, as a stranger, with no one to meet her, she was shocked to hear her name called. She was further astounded to discover that there was an opportunity awaiting her as a lady’s maid, to Mrs. Margaret Carnegie, if she assumed the identity of another Clara Kelley, who had also been on board her ship. That poor young woman had died in an accident during the crossing. She shrewdly assumed the identity of that young woman, and although she had no experience or knowledge of the job being offered, and although she had no possessions except for her rucksack, she approached the well dressed stranger who was calling out her name. When he enquired about her luggage, she was quick witted and said it had been lost at sea. First and foremost, our Clara was loyal to her family and getting a job was paramount. She was in America to ensure their survival. So, from the outset, she was embroiled in a lie she had to perpetuate. It would eventually be her undoing, but her family’s salvation.
The Carnegies, almost destitute, had come from Scotland to America. Andrew, a quick study, educated himself and had managed to keep his family’s heads above water with hard work and dedication. Eventually, their wealth grew, and they entered the upper class. In the magnificent Carnegie home, Clara and Andrew became good friends, and she seemed to become his muse, after a fashion, inspiring and encouraging his business ventures with her own brilliant ideas. Although their relationship grew deeper, it was kept secret to preserve her position with his mother so she could continue to support her family. Her first responsibility remained her family, and she would not jeopardize her livelihood which was so necessary for their day to day existence.
The historic story of Carnegie’s rise in the world of business, his great philanthropy and his enormous wealth is non-fiction and was very interesting, but I found the romance between Andrew and Clara lacking in credibility. The entire relationship between Clara and Andrew took place over approximately four years. Her behavior and his, stretched beyond the realm of believability for me. She seemed out of character for a young lady without formal education, who was from the servant class. In spite of her meager background, she was somehow able to insert herself into the Carnegie home, educate herself, practically overnight, about her responsibilities as a maid, care for Mrs. Carnegie as no other lady’s maid had been able to prior, and then was also the genius behind Andrew Carnegie’s business ventures, future success and acts of kindness.
Although Andrew married rather late in life, probably became the richest man in the world, even when compared to the rich of today, although he was a philanthropist of the highest order, I could not imagine such an unrequited romance being the reason. However, the factual information about Carnegie’s rise in the business world and the tales illuminating the dire conditions that had existed in Ireland coupled with the extreme poverty of the immigrants when they arrived in America, only to be subjected to further hardship, was very informative.
The narrator did a wonderful job reading the novel, interpreting each character with authenticity. The author’s prose was outstanding and put the reader into the time and place of the novel. Although the fictional tale was unsatisfactory for me, the history was very interesting and the author’s ability to put magic into the words on the page made it a very good read.

you can read the summary of the story.....Not a deep book, however the premise is interesting and it held my interest throughout. Good read

We liked the book and spending the day at the Frick Museum in Pittsburgh made the book come alive. Even though it was a different house, the back stairway to the library, the clothing and stagecoach of that era brought the book to life.

I loved this story about Pittsburgh and immigrants and the tension between the haves and the have nots. I could see this storyâ?¦I could see Pittsburghâ?¦I could feel these characters. Itâ??s my immigrant story.



Our second book, The Orphan’s Tale was dark and gutgutgut wrenching WWII. A phenominal read!