Carnegie’s Maid Review
Pam Jenoff’s quote on the front of Carnegie’s Maid says it all: “Downton Abbey fans should flock to this charming tale.” I’m a Downton Abbey fan, and I loved this book. I might also be biased though because of my love-hate relationship with Pittsburgh.
If you watch the news, Pittsburgh is everything you expect a rustbelt city to be, but when you live here and take advantage of everything that Pittsburgh offers, you find that Pittsburgh has a wealth of cultural, philanthropic, and educational resources comparable to that of other more cosmopolitan U.S. cities. And Pittsburgh owes at least a little credit for its rich cultural life today to Andrew Carnegie despite the fact that he rolled in money while his workers struggled to make ends meet, a point Benedict highlights in the book.
Carnegie’s Maid Summary
In her author’s note, Benedict writes “The idea [for Carnegie’s Maid] began with my own family over a hundred years ago, when my Irish immigrant ancestors, deprived of schooling and opportunities, used the first Carnegie library in Pittsburgh to educate themselves and their families.”
So, what prompted Andrew Carnegie to leave a legacy of 1,689 libraries across the country? His initial desire to help people like Benedict’s ancestors was outlined in a memo to himself in 1868, which Benedict includes in the book. The memo is peculiar because Andrew Carnegie wasn’t exactly a squishy cuddle bug. In fact, the memo is so out of character that, per Benedict, historians dispute the catalyst for the memo. As Benedict explains, some historians speculate that a relationship could have prompted him to write the memo. Enter Clara Kelly.
Benedict’s protagonist, Clara Kelly, immigrates from Ireland to America in 1863 because she needs to earn money for her family. Her father, a tenant farmer, is losing land because of his political leanings. He aligned with the Fenians (Irish people who wanted to be free of English rule) a few years earlier.
When Clara arrives in America, she tells a small lie and ends up as Mrs. Margaret Carnegie’s lady’s maid. This is how she meets Andrew Carnegie. Mr. Carnegie, as Clara refers to him for most of the book, lives with his mother, Margaret, and his brother, Tom, in Homewood. As Clara serves Mrs. Carnegie, she struggles to keep a secret and fend off polite advances from Mr. Carnegie. Her situation isn’t helped by Mrs. Carnegie’s difficult demeanor.
Carnegie’s Maid Review
Overall, the premise of “Carnegie’s Maid” is valid, although I find Benedict’s theory unlikely. In this armchair historian’s completely amateur opinion, it’s more likely a result of his impoverished childhood, his experiences becoming a self-made man, and his disdain for charities. In “The Gospel of Wealth,” Carnegie wrote, “Of every thousand dollars spent in so-called charity today, it is probable that $950 is unwisely spent; so spent, indeed as to produce the very evils which it proposes to mitigate or cure.”
By creating his own libraries and institutions Carnegie could provide charity in the way he believed was right: “In bestowing charity, the main consideration should be to help those who will help themselves; to provide part of the means by which those who desire to improve may do so; to give those who desire to use the aids by which they may rise; to assist, but rarely or never to do all.”
Historical guesswork aside, “Carnegie's Maid” is a delightful book. The story is sweet and Clara and Andrew’s opposite approaches to life create a relatable and gripping tension.
Carnegie’s Maid
by Marie Benedict
