Carnegie's Maid

September 1, 2017

In 1863, Clara Kelley, a farm girl from County Galway, sails to America to procure employment, hoping to send money back to her impoverished family in Ireland. When she answers a call for a girl of the same name who perished aboard ship, Clara quickly assumes the identity of this unfortunate, which leads her to obtaining a better position than she could have hoped: lady's maid to Mrs. Carnegie, mother of the successful, talented businessman Andrew Carnegie. Clara quickly renders herself indispensable to her employer. However, her good sense and intelligence come to the notice of Andrew, and a bond formed over talk of commerce turns to a deeper affection. Unfortunately, Mrs. Carnegie learns of Clara's true origins. Can Andrew's love withstand learning her secret--or should Clara simply leave it all behind? Benedict's (The Other Einstein) second novel captures the rush of industry that accompanied the American Civil War and the men like Andrew Carnegie, who were truly self-made. VERDICT With its well-drawn characters, good pacing, and excellent sense of time and place, this volume should charm lovers of historicals, romance, and the Civil War period. Neither saccharine nor overly dramatized, it's a very satisfying read.--Pamela O'Sullivan, Coll. at Brockport Lib., SUNY

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 9, 2017
Andrew Carnegie’s impetus to take up philanthropy is explored in this excellent historical novel. Benedict (The Other Einstein) begins with Carnegie’s letter to himself from December 1868, in which he pledges most of his fortune “for benevolent purposes.” The story then turns to farmer’s daughter Clara Kelley, who travels in steerage from Ireland; upon landing in Philadelphia in 1863, she is mistaken for an identically named fellow passenger who has died during the passage. Desperate to improve her family’s fortune, she assumes the other Clara’s place as a lady’s maid to the formidable Margaret Carnegie, mother to brothers Andrew and Tom. Clara’s education and sharp wit allow her to carry off the deception and, indeed, her intellect brings her to Andrew’s attention. She earns his respect and even affection, but differences in status make any prospect of a relationship unlikely. While there are elements of Cinderella, Benedict doesn’t let herself or her characters stray from historical realities. The true reason for Carnegie’s transformation from industrialist to builder of libraries for all remains a mystery, but Benedict’s imagination supplies a delightful possibility. Agent: Lauren Dail, Lauren Dail Literary Agency.

November 1, 2017
Immigrant farm-girl Clara Kelley clambers out of steerage and, by assuming the identity of a fellow passenger with the same name, hops onto the dock and straight into a position as lady's maid to Mrs. Carnegie, the exacting mother of Andrew, captain of industry. By turns tirelessly ambitious, philanthropic, and deeply influenced by his bootstrap-climb from poverty, Andrew is the personification of the American dream. He values Clara's intellect and seeming honesty, but their burgeoning relationship jeopardizes her position and ability to aid her family, desperately struggling back home in Ireland. Despite the Civil War setting, Benedict's (The Other Einstein, 2016) novel has a Gilded Age feel. Info dumps occur, and sustained suspension of disbelief is required, yet the story is engaging. The chaste romance will draw readers of inspirational fiction, while the novel is constructed to appeal to those seeking a tale with an upstairs-downstairs dynamic and all-but-invisible female characters who are either the impetus for or the actual originators of great men's great ideas. For Fans of Liz Trenow, Erika Robuck, and Nancy Horan.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)