The Operator: 'Great humour and insight . . . Irresistible!' KATHRYN STOCKETT

''What if you could listen in on any phone conversation in town? With great humor and insight, THE OPERATOR 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, bestselling author of THE HELP ''Just finished THE OPERATOR in an unstoppable rush and it was every bit as glorious, gossipy, delicious and perfect as I''d hoped. Absolute heaven!'' Jill Mansell, bestselling author of MAYBE THIS TIME It''s 1952. The switchboard operators in Wooster, Ohio, love nothing more than to eavesdrop on their neighbours'' conversations, and gossip about what they learn. Vivian Dalton is no different (despite her teenage daughter''s disapproval), and always longs to hear something scandalous. But on the night of December 15th, she wishes she hadn''t. The secret that''s shared by a stranger on the line threatens to rip the rug of Vivian''s life from under her. Vivian may be mortified, but she''s not going to take this lying down. She wants the truth, no matter how painful it may be. But one secret tends to lead to another . . . This moving, heart-felt and ultimately uplifting novel brilliantly weaves together an irresistible portrayal of a town buzzing with scandal, and an unforgettable story of marriage, motherhood and the unbreakable ties of family. ''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 deserts. Nothing is as simple - nor as dreadful - as it seems'' Laurie Frankel, bestselling author of THIS IS HOW IT ALWAYS IS ...

'In this well-plotted comic drama of small-town life, Berg combines the technicolour gloss of a Cary Grant film with the humdrum humour of Garrison Keillor. She keeps the surprises coming right until the end.'

Vorwort
A delightful, uplifting and moving novel about a 1950s switchboard operator who learns a shocking secret when she eavesdrops on a phone conversation. 'Irresistible' Kathryn Stockett, author of THE HELP

Autorentext
Gretchen Berg grew up in the US Midwest and now lives in Chicago. She has always been curious about history and families, and has a personal family tree of over 16,000 people. Her family research started with her own grandmother's little brown notebook full of details, and it was the story of her grandmother - herself a switchboard operator in Wooster, Ohio, in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s - that inspired THE OPERATOR.

Klappentext

An irresistible, moving and uplifting novel about Viviane, a switchboard operator in a 1950s American town, whose discovery of a secret about her husband creates a ripple effect of consequences for Vivian, her family, and the whole community,

The switchboard operators in Wooster, Ohio, love nothing more than to eavesdrop on their neighbours' conversations, and gossip about what they learn, Vivian Dalton is no different, though she's tired of hearing chats about quilting and makeup tips, She longs for something more exciting, But when she listens in on snobbish Betty Miller's chat with a friend whose voice Viviane doesn't recognise, she wishes she hadn't, What Vivian hears rips the rug of her life out from under her, and sends her on a mission to find out whose that unfamiliar voice was, and why they are trying to ruin her life, And the thing about small towns is, one secret tends to lead to another ,,,

THE OPERATOR vividly captures small town dynamics as it takes us down Vivian's rocky path towards reinvention and compassion, In this moving, heart-breaking and often funny narrative, unexpected friendships, family tensions and a marriage shaped by secrets are brought brilliantly to life, in an utterly satisfying read from a brilliant new writer,