Carnegie's Maid ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 Carnegie's Maid by Marie Benedict 

G👀dreads

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 he 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.

With captivating insight and heart, Carnegie's Maid tells the story of one brilliant woman who may have spurred Andrew Carnegie's transformation from ruthless industrialist into the world's first true philanthropist.

Genre: Historical Fiction
Circa: 1860s

Yep - that's me.
Marie Benedict is my new fav

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

Overall Enjoyment 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

Did it grab and keep my attention? 🎣🎣🎣🎣🎣
There was one little lull where I though I was going to have to take away a 🎣 but as soon as I thought that, hooked again!

Would I refer it to anyone? Yes, no restrictions

Would I want a sequel? N/A, it was wrapped up in the end.

Would I want to read more from this author? ➕Yes, all.the.things.  

Trigger Warnings - No

Spice  🌶 No 

Plot twist 🌪 No

Tidbits: I thought I might have to deduct a quarter of star because it's more fiction than history. She has said she researches the history and fills in the dark corners with fiction. After listening to the author's note at the end the fictional part made perfect sense and actually held it's own history. In the about it said "...tells the story of one brilliant woman who may have spurred Andrew Carnegie's transformation from ruthless industrialist into the world's first true philanthropist". In real life there wasn't a maid with Clara's circumstances. There WAS someone who turned him from money hungry steel tycoon to charitable humanitarian, history did not document who it was. Maybe another forbidden love. Marie Benedict said she picked a maid based on her own family history of immigrants coming to America and being service workers so she thought "why not the maid who inspires him?". A lot of the maid's story was based on historical facts of immigrants and what their families back in their homeland were dealing with, just not part of Carnegie's story. So basically two POVs colliding. 

As you know I do the audio 🎧and it threw me off in the beginning because the narrator pronounces it Car-NiG-Eee. Most American's pronounce it Car-nuh-gee. Like Carnuhgee Hall. I even asked Mr G who responded with the common American pronunciation but there is also a little video, like man-on-the-street. Andrew Carnegie was from Scotland and the people on the street say the Scottish pronunciation is Car-NiG-EEE. Okey dokey then.

That reminds of the former Felene's Department Store in New York. Pronounced Fee-Lines but some called it Fa-lean-ies.  Two-may-toe/Tah-mah-toe. 

Not from the book, just from history - Andrew Carnegie became the richest man in the world in his 60's until Rockefeller surpassed him in 1910 when he was 74. He didn't marry until he was in his 50s, 20 years after this story's timeframe. He opened thousands of public libraries and gave away most of his fortune (90%). He died at 83 from pneumonia. 

🎧Alana Keer Collins