“This cleverly crafted debut is a fabulous exercise in nostalgia that even comes with recipes for home baking.”
—Sunday Mirror, UK
“The Operator is a comedic, fast read, with a host of characters that could easily spring out of your parents’ or grandparents’ stories about growing up in 1950s America.”
—The Virginian-Pilot
“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, NYT bestselling author of The Help
“Berg’s storytelling is warm, sympathetic and witty. . .There are more than enough quotable lines to fill a couple of reviews.”
“A small-town telephone operator in 1953 smugly listens in on private conversations until one night she overhears an especially shocking, juicy secret and it’s about her. This secret takes on a life of its own; this small town’s inhabitants have a lot more in common than anyone guessed. The Operator by Gretchen Berg is a propulsive read with unexpected surprises and twists to the very end.”
—Jane Simons, The Dog Eared Book, Palmyra, NY
“The Operator brought back childhood memories of phoning by merely asking the operator to connect you to your party. Vivian Dalton, the lead character, also reminded me of Olive Kitteridge. Move over Elizabeth Strout!”
—Beverly Sears, Winchester Book Gallery, Winchester, VA
“Vivian is a telephone operator in a small town in the 50’s and listens in on the conversations. One night she hears a secret about her family that upends her life and of course leads to other secrets coming to light. What a humorous story of small-town life that is loosely based on the author’s grandmother.”
—Beth Carpenter, The Country Bookshop, Southern Pines, NC
“This original look at Midwestern life is recommended.”
—Historical Novel Society
“This is a heartwarming book with witty dialogue and a true sense of life in a small town over half a century ago.”
—Los Angeles Public Library
“Funny, sweet, secretive, and full of fascinating 1930s, ‘40s, and ‘50s period details...a poignant look at life in a small town with its nosy neighbors, thorny families, imperfect romances, scandalous pasts, and gratifyingly just desserts. Nothing is as simple–nor as dreadful–as it seems.”
—Laurie Frankel, NYT bestselling author
“Just finished THE OPERATOR in an unstoppable rush and it was every bit as glorious, gossipy, delicious and perfect as I’d hoped. Absolutely heaven!”
—Jill Mansell, USA Today & UK Sunday Times bestselling author
“A fun read with a cast of characters that range in likability (or unlikability), I continually found myself gaping at the secrets uncovered, eager to read on and get an explanation. The chapters offer bright, brief flashes of distinct threads which eventually weave together to form one story, with many intriguing revelations along the way.”
—Robyn Arnecke, Book People, Austin, TX
“Excuse me while I yell my exuberance at you, “I Thoroughly enjoyed my time spent reading this novel set in the 1950s!” Whew! Vivian Dalton, a mother with middle-child syndrome, has a fondness for listening into conversations. Thankfully, she finds the perfect/worst job as a telephone operator. Until the wrong/right conversation spurs on shenanigans. A drunken Santa, a bank robbery, and Orson Welles’ broadcast of The War of the Worlds; it’s all here in this character-driven novel, that you might/must relish too!”
—Jeanette Creager, Mitzi's Books, Rapid City, SD