“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 … infidelity, bigotry, and embezzlement thrown in for good measure. The Operator is irresistible!” —Kathryn Stockett, author of the New York Times bestselling 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. . . .
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“The Operator”, the debut book by Gretchen Berg, takes place in the 1950’s in small town America. The main character is Vivian McGinty Dalton, a telephone operator with Ohio Bell, who likes to listen in on the calls of the people she connects. One cold December night she listens in on a call between Betty Miller, a prominent town citizen, and an unknown voice, and hears a secret about her own life that threatens to make her the center of the town’s gossip. And so she begins a campaign to discover everything she can about the source of the rumor, uncovering other secrets in the process.
I really liked this book. To be honest, Vivian is not terribly likable at first. She is gossipy and somewhat judgmental. However, through the story, the reader gradually learns the reason for Vivian’s gossipy nature, and she does grow on you throughout the story. The author does a fantastic job of describing details of small town life in Midwest America (in this case, a town called Wooster, Ohio). I really felt like I was there. And the character descriptions are vivid enough that these characters come to life and are very realistic, faults and all. Some of the more vivid supporting characters are Eddie, Vivian’s husband; the aforementioned Betty Miller, and Vivian’s sisters, Vera and Violet. Betty Miller is especially intriguing as she is extremely judgmental and attempts, with the help of her therapist, to think “charitable thoughts.” My favorite character by far, though, is Vivian’s teenage daughter, Charlotte, who manages to both be a typical teenager and have more common sense than anyone else in the town.
The book unfolds as somewhat of a mystery, since Vivian overhears the secret very early in the story, and yet it is not revealed to the reader until roughly one third of the way through the book. This is actually quite effective as the reader is left to wonder what the heck this secret could be as Vivian becomes more and more unhinged. As the story continues and more and more secrets are uncovered, the author casually drops these bombshells, usually at the end of a chapter. I found myself more than once thinking “WHAT??” and going back to re read a paragraph or two.
Lastly, I really appreciated the inclusion of so many references to cooking and baking. Vivian bakes to relieve her tension. Not only are there amusing descriptions of her baking, there are recipes included. My personal favorite is one for sour cream cookies. The recipe calls for “1 cup shortening (I use part butter)” in the first line. I found that to be interesting and will certainly be testing this recipe myself (with all butter first).
This book is part nostalgia, part satire, a lot of fun, and, ultimately, heart-warming. It is a wonderful read for anyone who enjoys the time period of the 1950’s, women’s fiction, or a story about finding out that maybe you’re capable of more than you’ve always believed. I highly recommend it. Now, I have some sour cream cookies to bake.
Wonderful story! It has it ALL!
I gave up on this book.
Not the direction I thought it would take by title. Liked the era. Interesting turns and shows how some people are obsessed with vanity and jealousy.
This is a great read about small town America all it scandals and secrets!
Operators listening in on conversations?
It’s the 1950’s, and that could be done with a simple “number please.” The operators could also disconnect a call too.
What if you heard something in a conversation about you? Would you keep listening to conversations? Would you try to do something about what you heard?
Vivian was devastated when she listened to a conversation and found out she was the topic of some gossip and gossip she wanted to keep under wraps even though she knew it would spread like wildfire.
After hearing the gossip, Vivian tried to avoid everyone when she went out in case they would ask her any questions.
What could it be that she was so worried about? The reader was kept in suspense for many chapters.
There were other problems that the town thought were worth gossiping about too – and there was plenty of gossip to pass around.
Secrets and gossip kept the small town of Wooster buzzing.
THE OPERATOR is a light, comical, enjoyable read that should be enjoyed by readers of all genres. 5/5
This book was given to me by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this book about a woman living in a small town in the early 1950’s. The story centers on Vivian Dalton: wife, mother, sister, and telephone operator. Her hobby is gossip so her job in the small town of Wooster, Ohio is perfect. This debut novel was well-written and cleverly plotted – all the pieces fit together, most of the characters are not stereotypes, and motivations are slowly revealed as the story progresses. Put this book on your “to-read” list!
Thanks to publisher HarperCollins and Book Club Girl Early Read program for an electronic copy of this book. My thoughts and opinions are my own.
Wow this was a joy to read! This is a “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.”
I can imagine to be in this position would be tough not to eavesdrop on a “private” conversation, just be prepared to accept the consequences. The characters are not too likeable but relatable, the dialogue is funny & snarky, an overall entertaining read!
The Operator by Gretchen Berg is a hilarious, snarky, quick-paced literary treat. This is a historical fiction novel set in the early 1950s in small-town Wooster, Ohio and involves, amongst many supporting characters within the small town, Vivian and Betty. Both women are not particularly likable characters, and it is totally ironic that while both are rivals and dislike each other, they are more alike then they will ever realize. Both Vivian and Betty are insecure, gossipers that look down on others for things they are at fault themselves. The competition that ensues between the two ladies raises a notch after Vivian, while inappropriately eavesdropping mind you, overhears a monumental secret, and the subsequent digging into finding out more, creates a cascading effect thereafter. The “golden rules” of doing unto others, and what happens when karma takes the reins, comes to mind for the reader and applies perfectly in this case.
I enjoyed the quick, witty, sarcastic, and hilarious dialogue that I felt was appropriately paced with an equally unique plot and ending makes this book an enjoyable and memorable read. I also liked that the main female characters were unlikeable, and therefore to me, more interesting and relatable. I also liked the secondary plot that followed along as well. It added another layer of interest and complexity to the novel. I have always loved the 50s vibe, and add that to the fact that I can relate due to also living in a small town, made me love this book even more.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and enthusiastically recommend!
5/5 stars