Carnegie's Maid

4 out of 5 stars to Carnegie s Maid, a historical fiction novel set to be published in January 2018 by Marie Benedict Why This BookI saw this show up on NetGalley and wanted to read something about the Carnegie family I ve been on a hunt to read learn about all the tycoons of America, curious about all the connections between them I enjoy both fiction and non fiction, so I requested this one and was approved I picked it up last month because of a trip to the Vanderbilt Estate, even though it s [...]

4 Steelers Stars to Carnegie s Maid The Author s Note at the beginning by Marie Benedict set the stage In a letter, supposedly steel hearted Andrew Carnegie professed that he would do for the immigrants and working class in America After that time, he founded his famous library, which later led to him being a full fledged philanthropist Why was he inspired to change his ways Marie Benedict has some ideas based on her own family s experience The writing was smooth, and the picture painted had me [...]

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 p [...]

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 [...]

If ever there was a market for this book, it would be me a born and raised Pittsburgher who has read nonfiction works about Carnegie s life, is a massive historical fiction fan, has visited the former house museum of his arch enemy, Henry Clay Frick, twice because I am so fascinated with the eraI even got married at Carnegie museum So a fictional account of a love story involving Andrew Carnegie Sign.up However I can t be sure if it s this bias that left me disappointed with this book if my expe [...]

Clara Kelley leaves for America seeking employment to help her family in Ireland She hopes that she will earn enough to keep her family from losing their farm Her journey by ship was tough and many fell ill and died on the voyage When she arrives at the dock she hears her name being called by a gentleman seeking a different Clara Kelley Deciding to take a risk, she follows him to Pittsburgh to take a job as a lady s maid.Clara finds herself working in the home of the Carnegie family She has no t [...]

Andrew Carnegie, originally an Scottish immigrant grew to be the most powerful and richest man in America He was assuredly a self made man, one who grew to control the steel industry in America and later became a philanthropist and is given credit for the concept of a free library where all could educate themselves through the reading of books Having little formal education, he grew up in a family where education through books was valued Andrew carried this throughout his life and believed that [...]

I was thrilled when I got the chance to read this book long before it was released I mean as I write this review is it than half a year left before the book is released But, I just had to read it So, by the two stars rating have you probably figured that I did not truly love this book Now, before I start to explain what worked and what did not work for me will I just tell you that I m sure many will love this book It s not badly written or anything It s just that I m pretty picky when it comes [...]

Wonderful storyline Thanks to Netgalley and respective publishers for providing copy for me.Comprehensive, exceptionally written book.Great HISTORICAL FICTION AND ROMANCE.I ve not read any good Historical fiction after prolong time period.A novel, merely described about life of Immigrants especially about leading characters and how they flew with their masters.I like whole description of each and every character as well as flow of story.So many wishes for the Author.

Having been born in Pittsburgh, PA I am very familiar with the name Andrew Carnegie I was pleased as punch to be approved for this book Very fascinating story of a young girl, one of the many Irish immigrants coming to America to find work after the potato famine Having a very common name of Clara Kelly she poses as the Clara Kelly who dies on the ship on her way to America That Clara Kelly was on her way to a well paying position as a ladies maid for Mrs Carnegie, Andrew Carnegie s mother She b [...]

2.5 starsHailing from Pittsburgh s East End, I was eager to read this book overeager, after having loved the author s previous historical novel, The Other Einstein.The central theme is the same the man s legacy is due to the woman , but the basis of the plot differs the other stems from debate this one is invented.I would not have minded, if it were realistic, but it isn t At the 78% mark, I was done suspending disbelief.It took me several sittings just to get that far After a strong start, 1 th [...]

I received this from netgalley in exchange for a review.1860 s, Clara Kelley immigrates to America to work and help support her desperately poor family back in Ireland She is employed as a lady s maid in the home of the prominent businessman Andrew Carnegie As a relationship develops between Clara and Andrew, the glaring differences between their two classes eventually spur Andrew to become the philanthropic figure that we know.As in The Other Einstein , the author writes about a very strong fem [...]

Wow This was a great read for me I really want to talk about this book s ending and if I talk about it I would give spoilers so I won t say anything about that I would recommend to everyone who likes historical fiction And this book was the first book that goes on my favorites list that published this year or will be published Don t miss it It isn t published yet but will be published on 01 Jan 2018.The story happens in 1860 s fixed This story begins with giving us the little glimpse of how it w [...]

Carnegie s Maid , set in the late 1860 s, takes us into the home of one of the richest men in the world and one of the greatest philanthropists of all time Andrew Carnegie The story 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 Clara, strong and determined, has come to America on the chance of finding a job that will allow her to send much needed funds back to her family in Ireland Clara learned quick [...]

Downton Abbey meets History Channel s The Men Who Built America I picked up the ARC at BookExpo and I m so glad I did Carnegie s Maid is a fictional tale based on the rise of the Carnegies during the industrial revolution Benedict s forward explains how she pondered the reasoning behind iron magnate Andrew Carnegie s philanthropic endeavors Perhaps, his passion was spurred by someone who saw life in America in a different light Benedict used inspiration from her own family tree to develop the wo [...]

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 ch [...]

This was a tale focusing quite a bit on class distinction in the 1860 s that involves a young woman immigrating to America Clara Kelley arrives in Pittsburgh in hopes of securing employment that will help her impoverished family back home in Ireland After assuming the identity of another young woman who died at sea on her way to America she finds work as a lady s maid in the prestigious Carnegie family, a family that has made their own mark in society rising up from abject poverty to becoming on [...]

Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.I like this book and the story of Clara Kelly It highlighted many issues immigrants faced coming to America during the late 19th century and still face today I think it highlighted social justice issues of the time, but it had no basis in fact Yes, Andrew Carnegie was a very rich man who helped build the iron and steel industry from the ground up, but I don t think he was as charitable at the end because of a [...]

I was excited to read this book as I think Andrew Carnegie is one of the most influential Americans ever The Carnegie libraries are so important to the growth of our country We had a Carnegie Library in our little town of 5000 and I spent a lot of time in it growing up One of the most important events in my life took place there I was in junior high and had just graduated to the adult floor I had just selected Desiree , the story of Napoleon s first love who goes on to marry the King of Sweden W [...]

This review, as well as many others, can be found on my book blog BooksBeautifyLife A bit over the top historical romance with nice writing, good plot points but sadly lacks something overall to make me love it completely I think that everyone that enjoys a slower paced historical romance and can overlook the moments that are a bit over the top will defiantly love this book.The writing is good, the characters alright and the plot itself is nicely done So all in all overall a good book in my opti [...]

I d like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital ARC of this book DNF at 41% It started out with a really well written Downton Abbey which I LOVE vibe, but is too slowly paced for me to focus on Giving it a 3 star rating on NetGalley so as not to lower the books overall rating as I said it s well written it s just not for me , but will leave the rating blank.

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 they are t [...]

Before reading this book, I hardly knew anything about Andrew Carnegie He was one of the most influential and richest man in American history This book is about the relationship between him, and his mother s maid Clara, an immigrant from Ireland, is much than she seems As their relationship develops, we also get a glimpse of the relationship of the family and their servants The story is told from Clara s perspective It was intriguing at first, but I had a hard time finishing this book It story [...]

I loved this book It was an engaging, fascinating and emotional read The book follows Miss Clara Kelley from the moment she crosses the Atlantic She is a poor passenger travelling in the third class Her Irish family spent all their funds for her passage in hope that she will secure a good position for herself in America and will help support them They face difficult times because Clara s father s past involvement in the Fenian movement led to his persecution and lose of property Upon her arrival [...]

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 Ma [...]

Pokoj wka miliardera nie jest ckliwym romansem, ale fascynuj c powie ci z wielk histori w tle, o kt re Marie Benedict zadba a w ka dym szczeg le W ko cu co jak co, ale potrafi czy fakty z fikcj literack w wyj tkowy spos b Wzruszaj ca opowie o sile motywacji, o prawdziwym ameryka skim nie, kt ry nie by w tych ci kich, niepewnych czasach jedynie mrzonk , ale realn alternatyw , gwarantem niewyobra alnej, stabilnej przysz o ci O po wi ceniu, ci kiej pracy i odpowiedzialno ci Ale tak e o kobiecie, kt [...]

Carnegie s Maid is beautifully written with descriptive imagery that transports the reader back in time to the setting The sights and sounds and the s of the era are masterfully detailed and authentic The characterizations are dynamic and well developed the characters voices are authentic and engaging.This is a delightful, compelling read, seemingly well searched extremely interesting and informative I love historical fiction, and Marie Benedict has masterfully crafted two outstanding books in t [...]

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 [...]

I received this from NetGalley in return for an honest review.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 [...]

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 [...]