Carnegie's Maid

Based on some of my other reviews, you can see an obvious trend here about my love for… romance books. So taking a break from a genre I am very familiar with to jump into my friends book club pick of the month was uncomfortable to say the least.

While by readers standards this was a short read (coming up just short of 300 pages), I thought I was really going to be able to knock this out over a weekend. But as previously mentioned, historical fiction is not a genre I have ever voluntarily picked up before.

My expectations for this book were low; I was well aware before I started the first page that there would not be any spicy scenes like I am used to now. But as a graduate from the University of Pittsburgh and a current native in the city, this was a very unique spin between historical fiction and Pitt history.

Knowing a bit about Andrew Carnegie and his connection to Pitt, it was interesting to see how a special someone could have influenced some of his decisions. It was highly unlikely that a women or a maid nonetheless would have that much control over a man during that time, but I love the power and voice Marie Benedict gives to her female main characters.

The book was about as slow as I expected it to be and while I was motivated by my book club, I can’t say for certain I would’ve finished the book on my own. The ending especially made me question if the time I put into the book was worth it.

Overall, I am glad to have stepped out of my comfort zone with this read and happy I read this Pitt based book, in Pitt, that was written by a Pitt native. If you’re into historical fiction I would definitely recommend this book and if you like historical fiction and Pittsburgh has a special place in your heart I would HIGHLY recommend it.

Book Rating: 3/5