A very simple story: Irish immigrant Clara Kelly arrives to New York. She leaves behind struggling with the poverty and famine family. She is facing New World with coming to America, the world, which suppose to help her to help her parents and sisters. However once she is free to go from the ship and Ellis Island customs something unexpected happens: Clara gets a maid job at a very rich Pittsburgh family: The Carnegies. And the life will take its own course since then.
It’s the story of “ifs” but a very plausible “ifs”. In the world of 19th century America everything was possible. This story could have happened. I loved all characters: Clara for trying to be honest to her believes and helping her family against all odds; Tom Carnegie for being typical 19th century “entrepreneur” building step by step his family empire and struggling at the same time with his own vision of the world; Mrs Carnegie for being so real when she is trying to get away from her past as a very poor mother who tried to save her family. And all other beautiful written background characters without which this book wouldn’t be complete.
It’s a work of fiction but a very believable. Five starts for great imaginations and a well-written story.

I loved the characters of Clara and Andrew! I love how Clara reminds Andrew of where he started and she constantly tests him and pushes him. I loved the ending even though I felt it was a little abrupt. I also felt like the plot could've been pumped up a bit. Overall good book! Thank you Netgalley!

In the industrial 1860s at the dawn of the Carnegie empire, Irish immigrant Clara Kelly finds herself in desperate circumstances. Looking for a way out, she seeks employment as a lady's maid in the home of the prominent businessman Andrew Carnegie. Soon, the bond between Clara and her employer deepens into love. But when Clara goes missing, Carnegie's search for her unearths secrets and revelations that lay the foundation for his lasting legacy. With captivating insight and stunning heart, Carnegie's Maid tells the story of one lost woman who may have spurred Andrew Carnegie's transformation from ruthless industrialist into the world's first true philanthropist.

I love historical fiction and this did not disappoint. The author did a great job introducing us to Clara Kelly and how she ended up being employed as a ladies' maid by the Carnegie family, her meeting of Andrew Carnegie and the two falling in forbidden love. I love the premise that Carnegie taught Clara about his business dealings, while Clara taught Andrew that giving back to society and helping those less fortunate is more honorable than climbing the social ladder. A feel-good story even though the romance did not survive.

I wish the story would have lasted longer - I felt the author could have delved just a little into Clara's life after the left the employ of the Carnegie household, and into Carnegie's life as he fulfilled his promise to Clara.

Thanks to NetGalley for the copy!

I received this book from NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark in exchange for my honest review.

This book is a quick and easy read. I read it in one day because I did not want to put it down. It reminded me a lot of Downton Abbey.

Clara Kelly came to the US from Ireland and by mistaken identity she found herself in the position of a Lady's maid. Although she had never been a Lady's Maid, she was a very intelligent woman and picked up on what her duties were. When Andrew Carnegie finds out that she has a brilliant mind things change.

I would recommend this book anyone that like Historic Fiction. I loved it.

Coming into this, I knew very little about Andrew Carnegie, and I admit that I wasn't sure it would be a romance or not. As a book, it's a fun, engaging read that's over all too quickly. The author has a crisp voice that I found very well-suited to historical fiction, and the main character in particular is beautifully crafted. Details are excellent, but not overwhelming or gratuitous. The emotional tone is also a glowing point for me--there's such a good balance. Never any maudlin displays that go beyond believability, while also avoiding the dreaded robotic drone of lacking emotion.

Clara Kelley is from a farming family in Ireland, sent to America to bolster their income. When she arrives, she hears a man call her name. Although she's pretty sure this posh man in a bowler hat is looking for a different woman with the same name, Clara takes the opportunity. She has to tell some lies and mask her accent a bit, but she makes it to the formidable Mrs Seeley, a placement agency owner who intended the other Clara to be Mrs Carnegie's lady's maid. Clara makes herself indispensable by realising that Mrs Carnegie is new to society and needs assurance as well as the high standards she more openly touts. Although Clara's initial efforts to be a lady's maid are blustering through with cautious guesswork, she also seeks information from a book in the library, which made her later settling into her role more believable. She meets Andrew Carnegie in the library.

I loved Clara. She's pragmatic and firm in her convictions. She makes difficult decisions like hiding her true faith (Catholics were not popular) without doing stupid wishy-washy things that would put her in danger of losing her position. She's realistic and not precious about pondering or accepting hard facts of life. Nor is she unfeeling. When she begins a friendship with Andrew Carnegie, she is careful to protect herself from impropriety and is wary of how a man in his position could easily destroy her life.

She does struggle to make sense of Carnegie's inconsistent behaviour, and not just in regards to her. I had trouble with his characterisation in this book. Most of the time he reminded me of the classic lionising of Teddy Roosevelt in Hollywood films. Bright, optimistic, and irritatingly unrealistic in the refusal to examine his flaws. Of course, as I said at the start, I didn't know much about him, so I may have just balked at his personality changing so much dependant on the company he was in.

However, it did hurt the romance for me. They have chemistry. They spend time together. But Carnegie's behaviour is beyond mercurial. His mother is described as such, and her characterisation bears it out, but Carnegie came across to me as two different people. I found I preferred the ruthless businessman shouting at his superiors/colleagues to the egalitarian nice guy who never has an argument with Clara. He's too perfect when he plays the love interest. It makes their early encounters look suspect, and I shared Clara's discomfort whenever he gave her a lavish and inappropriate gift.

The supporting characters are all drawn well and add to the setting and a lot of Clara's musings and revelations about the world. The household's cook Mr Ford is her only friend among the servants, and her immediate family and some cousins keep her grounded and show an important contrast between the life she would have had and the one she made for herself. The Carnegies' snooty society neighbours added some nice colour and drama as well.

Unfortunately, the ending feels rushed. While reading, I felt like Benedict tried to accomplish things that should have already been covered, some of it in an effort to tie the end to the prologue. The prologue set up some expectations that I don't think ever really saw sufficient delivery. It's in Carnegie's point of view, and he thinks about Clara as if she's a spitfire who often spoke of equality with passion, and I don't think she ever came across as such a caricature. The pacing is fine, but the ideas introduced in the prologue kind of felt left alone until the end in an awkward and unnatural way.

The epilogue is quite good, though. It's a thirty years later epilogue that reaches back to the author's intent on covering Carnegie's libraries and public works. Every side character I worried about had their subplots wrapped up nicely, and I liked how Clara chose to live her life after leaving the Carnegie household. In all, I'd say that this book is worth the time and the small hiccoughs. Mostly, said hiccoughs made me wish the book was longer, and isn't that usually a good thing?

I was very keen to get my hands on Carnegie's Maid after reading the amazing The Other Einstein last year. You can read my review of that one here: https://lifehasafunnywayofsneakinguponyou.wordpress.com/2016/10/14/einstein-marie-benedict-review/

Marie Benedict does not disappoint. She states that the idea came to her after reading about Andrew Carnegie who founded the Carnegie Libraries and of course the famous Carnegie Medal book award for children's fiction was named after him. Marie noticed that there was a puzzle around why the multi millionaire named the richest man in the world and intent on industrial business, would venture out into founding charitable libraries for the lower classes.

Marie, as with her work on The Other Einstein combines history with fiction to plot a story. In Carnegie's Maid, Cara Kelley is sent to America by her poor Irish family hoping to find her fortune. By a stroke of luck she is mistaken for another Cara Kelley who unfortunately passed away on the ship. She finds herself in the other Cara Kelley's job as a ladies maid to Mrs Carnegie.

The novel tells the story of Cara's deception as she tries to make her way in a job she has no idea how to do and also support her family back home who are depending on her financially.

The book is interesting and well written and a nice thought, that a lost woman in history could have influenced Carnegie's change of heart. Marie writes as if it is true and it is wholly believable. A love story like no other, a hidden past and a fear of deception being revealed. Marie is the one to watch in a genre she has claimed as her own.

Clara Kelley gets off the boat after traveling from Ireland in the 1860s and not sure where she should go next. She is mistaken for another Clara Kelley on the same ship and becomes lady's maid to Mrs. Carnegie, the mother of Andrew Carnegie. Clara's father made sure hs girls went ot school and were educated even though he was just a farmer. She calls on what she has read to get her through this new life and position. Mr. Carnegie allows her to use the library and they often talk about poets. He finds her studying the business news and they talk about what he is doing. She has some ideas too that she eventually shares. This gives him ideas and he opens an account with money for her with the ideas she gave him. They grow to care about each other but she is a maid and not of his class. Then she has her secrets and she has the responsibility of helping her family. Many levels are in play and adds great reading to the story.