thought the book started out a bit slow...but then I got into it and really enjoyed it! there were quite a few twists that I didn't expect... you kind of get caught up in the small town atmosphere.... I wish I would have read the information that was at the end of the book first....one of the main characters was loosely based on the authors grandma..... I would definatly look at the authors other books if and when she writes them!! thank you for the opportunity of reading this book!!

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!

While there were humorous moments when reading this book, I felt it a little disconnected with two stories happening. I think many of us have heard about operators being able to eavesdrop on calls and gossiping about it. This read did provide some entertainment and it was a quick read, but I had to focus a little more with the story of the embezzlement and disappearance of two individuals. It did finally make sense towards the end of the book. Moral of the story: don't eavesdrop, gossip, or sleep around. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This is a cute read centered around a small town operator named Vivian whose family comes from the wrong side of the tracks & who married young & started working without finishing high school. She listens in on phone conversations until one ends up being about her & her family. The rest of the story centers around her trying to solve some mysteries pertaining to all she has heard & I enjoyed the ending where Vivian decides to try to improve her life instead of seeking approval from others. The book started out a bit slow for me but about halfway through the book got going & I enjoyed it overall.

I absolutely loved this book, the time frame of the 50’s was a simpler time in our lives. If you needed any help on the phone you always called The Operator. A great read, wonderful escape! Thank you Gretchen Berg for a delightful book.

A throwback a simpler time when telephone operators listened in on conversations and then reported them back to the small circle of friends all living within a same town. With a wonderful and engrossing way of writing, this author delivers surprises while telling the story about a nosy switchboard operator who learns gossip about her own family! An unraveling of sorts to find and expose the truth---to of course leading to other secrets makes this a wonderful and fun read! Thank you for allowing me to read this title prior to publication---I simply loved it!

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I do feel it could have been a bit shorter and still have kept the intent of the book. As someone who grew up in a small town with a "party line" in my youngest days, I can definitely relate to the eavesdropping aspect of this book. The author nailed her characters- great job for a first novel!

There were many good ideas tied together in this book but it still needs tidied up. There were too many characters mentioned so it took a minute at the beginning of each chapter to get back into the current character again. Overall a good read though.

Vivian works as a telephone operator. Her job is to connect calls but everyone listens in sometimes.

She’s a little insecure about her intelligence because her parents made her drop out of school when she was young. She trusts that she’s good at reading people. It’s not just because she listens into phone calls, she claims, she just naturally reads people well.

She is definitely taken aback the day she learns a huge, whopper of a secret about her own family. This secret was much bigger than anything I had pictured and it really did have the potential to destroy Vivian’s family.

She also knows that it will turn into the town’s hot gossip. They live in a very small town, word is definitely going to spread.

I enjoyed the story and I felt like Vivian proved to be much smarter and stronger than she ever knew she could be.

I also really enjoyed the way the story ended.

I got to read an early ebook edition of this book.

The Operator by Gretchen Berg is a historical fiction story set in Wooster Ohio. Vivian Dalton is a switchboard operator in the early 1950's. One night at work she secretly listens to a telephone conversation between Betty Smith and another female in their town. Vivian is shocked as she learns new information that will embarrass her and her family. Vivian's family is not the only family in Wooster that has secrets that will change their lives forever.

Overall, I enjoyed The Operator. Some of the characters at first appeared that they did not fit into the story. Everything does make sense in the end.

Thank you Net Galley and Harper Collins Publishers for an advanced readers copy.

Solid turn back time story that evokes a time long gone and a different way of life. Engaging story line with a bit of whodunnit with a twist of sassiness.The book is told from the perspective of Vivian Dalton, a headstrong, somewhat independent thinker who works as an operator at the local phone exchange. Set in a time before connecting to others by phone was automated, Vivian and her coworkers ask callers to whom they want to be connect and they wire the call into a switchboard to make the connection. They also have the ability, if they choose and regardless if they should, to listen into conversations. Vivian overhears a conversation that sets her on a path of passive aggressive revenge and amateur sleuthing to see if she can determine who told her nemesis this news that would change her and her family’s lives forever. The feel of the book is a throwback to another time and place. The author does a great job at capturing what it might have been like to live in that time, the societal expectations of women and their role in both the economy, the community and the home. If you enjoy reading and vicariously experiencing the past, this book achieves it quite well.

The Operator is an interesting slice of life book. set in a small town in New York State, this story touches on how small a small town can. be and how we all love a good bit of gossip or scandal until it impacts us. A study on jealousy, pride, and forgiveness, our fouls and foibles, and what pushes us and how we respond. An interesting read on the best and worst of humans, what drives them to jealousy and revenge, and the outcomes of our actions.

Interesting premise, characters, and multiple story lines make this a fun read!

The Operator was fantastic!! The Operator was written by Gretchen Berg, who is becoming one of my new favorite authors! The story takes place in Wooster, Ohio in the 1950's when operators were the life-line of the telephone. I loved the rumors, stories, and women of this time period. Life was so much simpler and so glamorous! (Can you image answering the door without your lipstick?!- some lines made me laugh out loud!) Berg follows the lives of three sisters and how a scandal begins in a small town. The chapters were short.and flowed nicely from one chapter to the next. Bergs writing style made for an easy, enjoyable read. I loved the addition of Berg's family recipes in the book-- I have such great memories around my grandmother's recipes too! I love how Berg's family and the town of Wooster are depicted and represented in the story too. I highly recommend this book and I will be looking forward to more books by Gretchen Berg. Special thanks to The Book Club Girl Early Read Program, Harper Collins - William Morrow Publishers, and NetGalley for the advance digital Copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

#TheOperator #NetGalley

I'm glad I stuck with this book. At the start I didn't like the writing style, finding it repetitive, even tedious. Once I got to the 40% mark, though, I realized I was engrossed in and enjoying the story. I did like the way all the seemingly unrelated side stories came together, and I found the ending really satisfying.


Thank you to NetGalley and the Book Club Girls for this early read.

I really enjoyed the storyline of this book, and it was great that it also involved the main setting of WNY, which is where I was born and raised.
The book follows a telephone operator at the Bell telephone company in Wooster, OH, back when you had to dial an operator and have them connect you to your intended contact. The woman's name is Vivian Dalton, and one day she "overhears" a phone call between an unknown person and the town gossip, who insists on making Vivian miserable. The phone call would not have been such a big shock had it not involved Vivian and her family, and to make it worse Vivian had no idea about the information that was shared, and she knew it could destroy her family as she knew it! She sets out to uncover the truth, and change her life!
I really enjoyed this book. It flowed well, and the story was not something I typically see. I would definitely recommend it.

The Operator by author Gretchen Berg was a fun read for me as it brought back memories of a time that most people will not have any recollection of. The time of having to have operators work a switchboard at the local phone company to connect you to call others. It told how the operators would listen in on the conversations which in turn would be the start of more small town gossip. It brought a smile to my face and reminded me of an aunt of mine that was like this. It’s a story that depicts what it’s like to live in a small community where everyone knows each other and their business. Gossip and scandal have no where to hide. And believe me, every town has its share of scandalous secrets. It’s also a story about family and sibling rivalry. I just loved reading this and I think readers will really get a kick out of it too! I’d like to thank NetGalley and Book Club Girl Early Read for the arc to read and review. I give this a 4 star rating.

The Operator is a funny and witty novel. I grew up on a small town and could really relate to the gossip. Although there were coincidences in the book, I feel that they are there to let us know that people are more alike than they imagine.

I found this to be a very enjoyable read. I found the story to be funny, charming, moving. The character of Vivian was very well written, flaws and all. I was rooting for her and so happy with her personal growth. Thank you for the ARC.

I received an ARC of The Operator through NetGalley. After a slow start, I must say that I enjoyed the main story line about Vivian Dalton, a telephone operator in a small town, who eavesdrops on conversations. One day she is listening in on a conversation and hears information that affects her life with her husband. There's also a story about a bank robbery......that loosely ties in with the main story. Once the story started moving, I had a difficult time putting the book down. I give it 4 stars and am looking forward to Gretchen Berg's second novel.

My grandmother was a telephone operator in a small town in the 40's. I know Wooster, OH. I looked forward to reading this book! It was a little slow getting started and I almost gave up on it. I'm glad I didn't! Ms. Berg has done a good job capturing the attitudes of the times. Eventually, all questions were answered.