The Operator

A Novel

By: Gretchen Berg

Narrated by: Allyson Ryan

Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

"What if you could listen in on any phone conversation in town? With great humor and insight, The Operator by Gretchen Berg delivers a vivid look inside the heads and hearts of a group of housewives and pokes at the absurdities of 1950s America, a simpler time that was far from simple. Think The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel in the suburbs with delicious turns of jealousy, infidelity, bigotry, and embezzlement thrown in for good measure. The Operator is irresistible!" (Kathryn Stockett, author of the New York Times best-selling novel The Help)

A clever, surprising, and ultimately moving debut novel, set in a small Midwestern town in the early 1950s, about a nosy switchboard operator who overhears gossip involving her own family, and the unraveling that discovery sets into motion.

In a small town, everyone knows everyone else’s business....

Nobody knows the people of Wooster, Ohio, better than switchboard operator Vivian Dalton, and she’d be the first to tell you that. She calls it intuition. Her teenage daughter, Charlotte, calls it eavesdropping.

Vivian and the other women who work at Bell on East Liberty Street connect lines and lives. They aren’t supposed to listen in on conversations, but they do, and they all have opinions on what they hear - especially Vivian. She knows that Mrs. Butler’s ungrateful daughter, Maxine, still hasn’t thanked her mother for the quilt she made, and that Ginny Frazier turned down yet another invitation to go to the A&W with Clyde Walsh.

Then, one cold December night, Vivian listens in on a call between that snob Betty Miller and someone whose voice she can’t quite place and hears something shocking. Betty Miller’s mystery friend has news that, if true, will shatter Vivian’s tidy life in Wooster, humiliating her and making her the laughingstock of the town.

Vivian may be mortified, but she isn’t going to take this lying down. She’s going to get to the bottom of that rumor - get into it, get under it, poke around in the corners. Find every last bit. Vivian wants the truth, no matter how painful it may be.

But as Vivian is about to be reminded, in a small town like Wooster, one secret usually leads to another....

©2020 Gretchen Berg (P)2020 HarperCollins Publishers

A Plodding Plot Line

I had to give up on this one. The information needed to sustain my interest was doled out in hints given incrementally at the end of chapters overloaded with minutiae about the characters. Does it ever get off the ground?

Nice idea, poorly executed

I liked the idea of this book, a small town switchboard operator listening in on calls, but I was disappointed in story. I was hoping for more overheard scandals and drama, more day in the life of an operator. Instead, there was only one big scandal and then a lot of focus on a host of characters I never grew to like and who were never fully developed. Plus, there was some weird silliness on baking recipes and nursery rhymes that added nothing to the tale. I listened to the end to learn how the varied stories of each main character tied in together, but the entire time I was thinking this book was really not worth it.

You Can't Judge a Book by its Description

The positive stuff first. Gretchen Berg is a fine writer with a strong dedication to character development. and setting. I clearly felt each character as someone I knew as the events in this story unfolded. It's a cute tale; she has captured the feel of small town Ohio (small town anywhere for those of us from big cities) in the 1950's. I give the author four stars alone for setting and characterization. Sadly, I wanted more from the story. Based on the description, I had been expecting something more madcap and out of control hilarious. What I got in return was something whimsical enough to crack a smile here or there but not much more. Ultimately, the experience was something akin to seeing a movie trailer that reveals the most memorable moments, but leaves the remainder a little dry. Kudos to the folks who write the abbreviated book descriptions, however. The teasers are (were) enough for me to give this one a chance. The end result while less than I had envisioned was not a complete disappointment by any means. Unfortunately, I simply wanted more.,

Very Well Written

Typically, I listen to murder mysteries. This was a mystery of another sort. It was written very well with lots of unexpected twists and turns. Had me on my feel the whole time. Well done!

Entertaining

I listened to this boo on my daily walks while recovering from surgery. It was well written, nostalgic and has a good storyline. I read all sort of novels so as a work for pure entertainment, this one is easy to enjoy.

An interesting read

Not a bad read and I’m a little surprised at the so-so reviews. Many interesting characters and their interaction hits on many levels. Vivian is an operator who works for Ohio Bell. Working a switchboard in a small Ohio town she and her fellow operators will on more than one occasion listen in on the telephone calls they are processing. During one of these “ease drop“ calls Vivian hears something that will turn her world upside down. Not want to take bad news lying down, Vivian decides she is going to get around, over and under the situation.
The reason for the vendetta that Betty, one of the towns upper crust, has against Vivian will floor you.
I enjoy this read and like the interaction with all of the characters. Vivian felt as though she never really measured up because she did not finish high school due to the depression. Her natural intellect comes to the IV as she “researches“ the situation.
I listen to the audio version of this book and was very impressed with the performance.

not bad

I enjoyed the story. I was disappointed at the end and how it didn't fully wrap up the remaining characters.

Rollicking good story.

Many twists and turns that you don’t see coming. Resolution that leaves you pleased and satisfied.

The Real Deal

Berg’s thorough research shines as she weaves this story. All the places and people are based in reality, increasing their believability in this engrossing story.

Just OK

This story could have been told in half the words. It was a good story, just too long in the telling.