Carnegie's Maid (Marie Benedict)

 

I enjoyed this book. It was interesting to learn about the Carnegie family (which we all, apparently pronounce incorrectly....emphasis should be on the second syllable!)  the main character is made up - the author's attempt to find a reason for Andrew Carnegie's business dragon personality that changed into a philanthropist. 

I learned at book club that his organization funded the first library in Calgary - Memorial Park Library. It is my favorite library in Calgary. If only there was better parking around there, I'd go there a lot just to sit and soak in its beauty.

I borrowed this book from a book club friend. She said it was an easy read and that she read it in two days. I felt bad that it took me a week to read it. I thought I should have read it faster and then be able to pass it on - but actually, a little over a week isn't that bad. I wasn't compelled to keep reading like my friend said she was. It was an enjoyable read but not one where I couldn't put it down.

Goodreads says:

From the author of The Other Einstein, the mesmerizing tale of what kind of woman could have inspired an American dynasty.

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..