Carnegie’s Maid by Marie Benedict
Reviewed By: Becky Houghton, Reference Assistant
Genre: Historical Fiction
Suggested Age: Teens, Adults
What is this Book About?: American entrepreneur and philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie came to America as an immigrant but rose to industrial prominence during the middle to late 1800’s. Benedict’s tale about the influence on Carnegie’s character as a result of his mother’s personal maid, Clara Kelly, is an ingenious tale. Clara, herself a poor farmer’s daughter and Irish immigrant, assumes the persona of another Clara Kelly who died during the trip to America and becomes Mrs. Carnegie’s lady’s maid. Clara demonstrates remarkable adaptability and intelligence making herself indispensable to Mrs. Carnegie and eventually her personality and astute business skills also make her treasured by Andrew. But, Clara knows that she is living a lie. Her future and the possibility of bringing the rest of her family to America will be jeopardized if the lie becomes known to the Carnegies.
My Review: I really enjoyed this book as it is both well-written and well researched. Benedict envisions a romantic involvement which transforms industrialist Andrew Carnegie from a privileged, power-seeking entrepreneur in Post-Civil War America into one of the world’s greatest philanthropists. The book is written almost like a diary detailing the day-to-day activities of Clara Kelly as she adapts to her role as a lady’s maid and eventually a romantic interest for Andrew Carnegie. This tale of a romantic involvement between Andrew and his mother’s personal maid is a fabrication, but what is certain is that something or someone influenced Carnegie to overcome the prejudices of the times against immigrants and Catholics to become a leading philanthropist. Benedict’s tale is as likely to have been the impetus as any other possibility.
Three Words That Describe This Book: Thought-provoking, Captivating, Absorbing
Give this a try if you like…Marie Benedict’s The Other Einstein, Heather Terrell’s The Chrysalis or Amanda Quick’s The Girl Who Knew Too Much
Rating: 5/5
About FDL Reads
FDL Reads is a series of weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library.
