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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️I found this story very compelling. Andrew Carnegie was a ruthless industrialist turned philanthropist, giving away his fortune, promoting self-education by building libraries. Yet no one knows what caused the change in him. The author took from her own immigrant ancestors and added Clara Kelley to the story, an immigrant with a story of her own. She became Mrs. Carnegie‘s lady‘s maid, but did she also bring about this change to Andrew?

The Wild Wood bookstore opened today. I was excited to meet the owners and support their new adventure.

Why would Andrew Carnegie, the ruthless industrialist, use the bulk of his huge fortune to improve educational opportunities for poor immigrants? This speculative historical fiction novel provides one possible reason, immersing the reader in an engaging upstairs/downstairs type tale. The details of Andrew Carnegie‘s life, and also those of his Irish immigrant maid, Clara, are fascinating and feel well-researched. ⬇️

There are 2 Carnegie libraries in Vermont, one in Burlington & one in Montpelier. This one is in Montpelier, the capitol city of the state. The back of the building has been renovated & is quite stunning but my phone died as I tried to take the photo. I walked around this small city yesterday and was delighted to see it was still full of long haired folks, many of them gray haired, & young hipsters. Definitely worth a visit if you haven‘t been.

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Today‘s Prompt: TAPESTRY

Love her books - this was a favorite.

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Thanks to these Litsy folks for today‘s prompt:

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Today‘s Prompt: TAPESTRY

📖 12-19-22 || This is a soft pick because though I enjoy Benedict‘s writing this one dragged a little. I was disappointed to realize that the MC is completely fictional. It‘s apparent that Benedict did thoroughly research Carnegie and his transition from industrialist to philanthropist, as well as the immigrant experience of the Irish in the later 1800s. I enjoyed The Personal Librarian and still plan to read other books by Benedict.

Book 86

Clara, immigrated to the US from Ireland in the 1860s, obtains a job as a lady's maid to Mrs. Carnegie, mother of the railroad tycoon. From the house library and Andrew

Carnegie himself, Clara learns business and becomes a confidant and adviser to Andrew. Though the novel is somewhat historically accurate, Clara is a fictional character. Of course, a self-made businessman would never seek counsel from a woman.

I enjoyed this book but have enjoyed some of Marie Benedict‘s more. I‘m not upset having read it, it was entertaining. What I disliked most was that it seems more fictional than the rest of her work. While, pretty much all are historical fiction, there had been more to support the direction she took in her other stories. This one seemed almost completely fictional, and again while enjoyable, less interesting as a result.