Carnegie’s Maid

I had trouble putting this book down - found it to be riveting from the first few pages. The characters' stories of early immigrant sacrifices and struggles to survive, let alone succeed, are valuable for all of us to learn, appreciate and respect. Life in America was not easy for the vast majority of our ancestors. This historical fiction piece is a great story contrasting wealth and poverty, along with emotional delimmas and love. A great read.

Perhaps a very Pittsburgh book, too -- right down to foregoing love in favor of duty, and love transmuting into ideals. When I was a child in Pittsburgh, the main Carnegie Library was a temple to learning -- no expense spared in its majestic construction and every book cherished, no matter how obscure. I used to make the series of trolley journeys from my suburban home to the university district to visit it every other weekend, just because it amazed me that I was welcome in such a palatial and scholarly environment -- everyone was. It was its sheer magnificence that began my fasciation with Andrew Carnegie. I also adored Pittsburgh -- a very complex place, for those of you who don't know it. So of course I wanted to read this book, and that side of me was gratified to come away with a better understanding of the young Carnegie and Pittsburgh in the time of the Civil War -- with an intriguing description of New York in the same time period thrown in. This book is not a literary masterpiece, but it is competently written from the POV of a ladies' maid -- a narrow view of the world, but one which serves the purposes of the book very nicely. The characters took on reality for me, and the small domestic view of some of the great robber-baron moves of the day, and of the building of the country's infrastructure, was engrossing. So was the description of the living conditions of laboring-class immigrants and Irish tenant farmers during the time of the great potato famine, which came to vivid life. And the story arc was quite satisfying -- and the farthest thing imaginable from predictable. I'll be re-reading this book in future.

I hadn’t read any Marie Benedict novels, and knew nothing about her, before reading The Only Woman in the Room. The book was a delight to read, so I was excited to follow it up with Carnegie’s Maid. This one did not disappoint! As an alumnus of Carnegie Mellon and with a longstanding interest in the industrial history of Pittsburgh, I was drawn to the setting and era in which the story takes place. Benedict’s descriptions of the filth and poverty of the city juxtaposed against the wealth are written in such masterful detail. The story’s topics of wealth inequality and immigration challenges remain relevant even today. Clara, the protagonist, is strong, likeable, intelligent and relatable, much like Hedy in The Only Woman in the Room. I loved Benedict’s diplomatic rendering of Andrew Carnegie, whose reputation as an ambitious, somewhat greedy “robber baron” has, in my opinion, always been too one-sided. She paints a more nuanced and complex picture of Carnegie as a young man, with redeeming and attractive traits; the playful dialogue between Carnegie and Clara make him more human and fallible as well. Can’t wait to read another Marie Benedict novel!

I loved the characters and the truth behind the divide in 1908 my grandfather came steer age class from Wales. He was 16 Starting as a Western Union messenger boy,and a self educated man he quickly rose through the ranks just as Andrew. He became VP Internationally and set in motion the storefronts you now find. Andrew and my family differed in only one way, my grandfather early on took care of neighbors and shared his wealth to make many young families to stay afloat especially during the 2 World Wars. I loved this book with all my heart. Thank you for this fantastic story. It, to me, also shows we have not learned or advanced as much as we think with the war between conservatives and liberals in our current world mass immigration difficulties. Whether we like it or not, we all came from other countries! Best we should remember this 💜

I liked the book, it was an easy & interesting read. I liked learning what a lady’s maid did & other historical details. I didn’t like the whiny letters that she received from her sister & then at the end, nothing was said about her bringing her family over or what happened to them, etc. so why bother putting these letters in or introducing the characters? Also it seems the heroine had a modern mindset & not one that a woman in the 1860s would normally have. About halfway through the book all of a sudden she started saying how one of her employers dresses could feed immigrant families & stuff (comments along those lines). Well the cost of Kim Kardashian’s lavish weddings could feed a lot of homeless people too. But it’s her right to spend her money on what she wants to & I don’t obsess about what she does or doesn’t do. So, I started out liking the heroine but these little things turned me off.

I enjoyed the book at first, but about 2/3 through, I felt the writing quality slipped. More repetition, replaying covered ground, and the like. Then, it abruptly ended. I liked Clara, had no problem with her "homeschool" education, but, like others, I became very curious about Andrew and his mother. Was Mother that highly involved in his business? How did she feel about funding libraries? How did Andrew and his brother's relationship proceed? I confess that I was unaware that Clara was completely fictional, not based on any real individual or composite. To me, that makes this book fiction, based very loosely on historical figures. Disappointing.

This is another classic tale of a poor servant girl catching the eye of her rich master. However although our heroine, Clara, the ladies maid is fictional, her rich employer is not. He is Andrew Carnegie. So the author is constrained by history and one knows right from the start that the romance, such as it is, will never go anywhere and that is one of the novels flaws. Although the book is very well written and researched, the plot lacks drama. The romance is very chaste and is not imbued with much emotion and the premise that this woman might have influenced Carnegie’s business and philanthropic causes, really seems a bit far fetched. I also would have liked a more imaginative ending. As it is the book ends on a rather flat note. However Andrew Carnegie certainly was a vary interesting person and so I found this book most informative.

Loved this book. The disparity in the lives of an Irish maid and her employer is dealt with superbly. The quality of the writing brings the story to life. Highly recommend this book.

Excellent read. I was drawn in immediately to this very interesting story. I love the historical content. Everyone should read this book.

Although the character is purely fictional, the author's mastery of the period lends credence to something that one would hope would happen in real life at the time.

Really enjoyed this book! Very lifelike and believable. I was sorry to come to the end of it.