Carnegie's Maid: A Novel!

by Marie Benedict

Clara Kelley is not who they think she is. She's not the experienced Irish maid who was hired to work in one of Pittsburgh's grandest households. She's a poor farmer's daughter with nowhere to go and nothing in her pockets. But the other woman with the same name has vanished, and pretending to be her just might get Clara some money to send back home. If she can keep up the ruse, that is. Serving as a lady's maid in the household of Andrew Carnegie requires skills she doesn't have, answering to an icy mistress who rules her sons and her domain with an iron fist. What Clara does have is a resolve as strong as the steel Pittsburgh is becoming famous for, coupled with an uncanny understanding of business, and Andrew begins to rely on her. But Clara can't let her guard down, not even when Andrew becomes something more than an employer. Revealing her past might ruin her future -- and her family's.--Provided by Publisher.

• ISBN13: 9781492646617
• Publish Date: 16 January 2018
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc
• Imprint: Sourcebooks Landmark
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 288
• Language: English

Reviews

[readingwithwrin]

I originally got an e-arc on Netgalley, but I ended up reading a physical copy from the library.


“As Mrs. Barrett Browning says, ‘The world of books is still the world.”

Going into this book I was a little nervous because of how loved this author is. After reading this one, I totally get the hype and I cannot wait to go back and read her debut book.

Clara Kelly is such a realistic character. She's from a farming family in Ireland who has been hit hard by the potato famine and is now struggling to make ends meet. To try and fix this her parents decided that it would be best for one of their children to go to America and look for work there and then send money home. Clara was the one chosen and was able to get an amazing job by chance.

Clara ends up working for the Carnegie family as a ladies maid to Andrew Carnegie's mother. This is something that she just has to learn and as she goes because of certain things. This part was a lot like other ladies maid stories, things get interesting though when she starts to become friends with Andrew.

This friendship is a little weird I'll admit as he is her boss and things could happen. Clara and Andrew have a friendship based on knowledge and there want to talk to one another about certain topics. Clara also sees it as possibly way for her to learn how to earn more money. I really enjoyed their conversations and how they really were friends despite the social rules that had been put in place to stop them.

We also get to see Clara's cousins and how other immigrants from Ireland lived in America and how hard they had to work for so little.

Overall I really did love this book. Seeing both high and low society at the same time. While also learning more about Mr. Carnegie was really fascinating to me. It was also very eye opening with how certain things have changed in America, yet so much is still the same.

I highly recommend this book, and I know this review doesn't do it justice.