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rachdobbe's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
theavidreaderandbibliophile's review against another edition
3.0
The Operator by Gretchen Berg is a lighthearted historical novel about gossip, eavesdropping and scandal. Vivian Dalton works as a telephone operator at Ohio Bell. She began eavesdropping on conversations at an earlier age and working at the telephone company allowed her to continue this hobby. Late one December evening, Vivian overhears a conversation between the hoity toity Betty Miller and a stranger. The stranger tells Betty a secret about Vivian’s family which, if it gets out, will embarrass Vivian. After getting over her anger, Vivian sets out to learn if the information is accurate. While the story plays out in the present, we get to learn about Vivian’s growing up years and her relationship with her family. We also learn about Betty Miller’s family and the robbery of the bank managed by Betty’s father, J. Ellis Reed. This side story does not make sense until the end of the book. I had a hard time getting into The Operator. The first chapter did not pull me in (it was a turn off). I found The Operator easier to read as I got further into the story. I also think I had trouble because it is hard to like the main character (or any of them for that matter). I felt the author captured the time period with the fashions, vehicles, the language, and events. I like how Gretchen Berg included Orson Welles’s “War of the Worlds’ Martian invasion broadcast. She captured the panic it created beautifully. I did feel The Operator was too long. It could have benefited from some judicious editing. This is Gretchen Berg’s debut novel which is loosely based on her grandmother (author’s note at end explains about newspaper articles and poems included). There are some recipes included in The Operator. The Operator is a blithe story about rampant rumormongering, endless eavesdropping, superior standards, and harmful hearsay.
rereader33's review against another edition
1.0
You know, I simply wanted a fun, gossipy read. I wanted some mindless drama. I wanted something FUN. Instead, all I got was misery, rage, and bottomless disgust.
There is so much wrong with this story that I am genuinely AMAZED anyone can give it more than one star. From the basic, boring, and frankly annoying writing to the obnoxious and unlikable characters to the disgusting use of race as plot devices, I struggle to understand how ANYONE can glean ANY enjoyment out of this story.
I'm not going to elaborate on my thoughts on the writing because what I said is what you need to know, so instead we're going to start with the characters as I have the most to say about them. Vivian is our leading lady and HOLY FUCKING SHIT, IS SHE JUDGMENTAL! From the beginning of the book, all Vivian does is judge other people and put herself on a high pedestal because she's perfect, I guess. Oh no, wait, it's not that she's perfect, it's that everyone is worse than her and she feels superior because of it. Not only that, she's petty, rude, ignorant, AND racist! What a wonderful combo!
Vivian spends pretty much the whole book judging people, plotting revenge, hating others, only caring about herself, and effectively being a massive asshole. And before you ask, I'm gonna spoil this now, she NEVER takes responsibility for her actions. Everything is ALWAYS someone else's fault. Her character has one cheap "redeeming" moment, but it's not nearly enough to excuse her bullshit behavior. I knew she was a fucking atrocious human when she invites over an Italian couple (I forgot to mention, this book takes place in the 50's) for dinner to SPITE HER HUSBAND because he's racist against Italians. I'm going to let that sink in for you...and no, it doesn't get any better from there.
Some of the other things Vivian does throughout the book: lie to her husband about her whereabouts so she can confront someone, manipulates her way into a secured government facility so she can find more dirt AND ends up finding dirt on someone else (we'll discuss her in a bit) and plans to tell papers about said dirt, and consistently eavesdrops on peoples' conversations because she enjoys the power and control she has at her job. Yeah, needless to say she won't be winning any humanitarian awards any time soon.
Moving on from her for a bit, one of the biggest problems with this book is EVERYONE is unlikable, and not just mildly annoying or rude, but straight up disgusting human beings who dispel toxins from their mouths every time they breathe. Betty is definitely second worse next to Vivian (granted both of them are terrible, but whatevs) although she and Vivian show disturbing similarities. Both are vain, both think they're above others, and both are horribly racist. Betty's character is also infuriating because it becomes clear about halfway through the book that Vivian is never going to get any character development in terms of personality, rather her "redemption" is going to be exposing Betty and "taking down the villain" in lieu of, you know, becoming a better person. And, FUCKING SPOILER ALERT, Vivian doesn't end up exposing her, which makes this even worse because now Vivian's just a horrible person with no character development (at least any that matters) without redeeming herself.
Even more insulting, Vera, Vivian's older sister, is a terrible person from start to finish but oh no! She got a stroke and now she feels bad about her actions and wants to make things right before she dies! Now, is this realistic? Yes. Is it put in here purely to pull at your heartstrings, feel sorry for her, and forgive her when she realistically did absolutely nothing to change her bad behavior? HELL FUCKING YES, and that's why this moment fucking sucks and I refuse to feel sorry for her. It was a cheap ploy to get the readers so sympathize with a terrible person without doing anything to make that person sympathetic beforehand.
Speaking of cheap and disgusting ploys, Flora's reveal towards the end pissed me off so badly because it showed that even in 2020 authors are not immune to the good old "race reveal used as a plot device" trope and haven't figured out that that shit doesn't work even if your setting is in the 50's. Any reveal relying on a person's gender, race, sexuality, religion, ethnicity, or mental health is disgusting, cheap, and in incredibly poor taste. Authors, please, STOP FUCKING DOING THIS!
Finally, I mentioned that Vivian never receives any noteworthy character development or growth, but frankly no one does. Once Betty's big reveal happens, she effectively refuses to believe it and goes on pretending she's perfect. And for FUCK'S SAKE, I do NOT want to hear any, "oh well, it fits with her character and there are people like that in the world!" because I DON'T FUCKING CARE. All this reveal proves is that Betty's a fucking terrible person with no depth and exists to be an antagonistic asshat. In fact, NONE of these characters felt like real people, more like caricatures of everyone's greatest faults. Or, more specifically, each GENDER'S faults, because HOLY SHIT, Berg loves gender stereotypes! All men are either lazy, womanizers, cheats, or adult babies, and women are gossips, catty, judgmental, petty, and willing to put others down to make themselves feel better. Human beings at their absolute finest, folks!
In conclusion, I do not recommend this book to ANYONE, even if they want a simple read. The writing is boring, the characters are atrocious, and the story insults you by trying to make you feel sorry for characters who don't deserve any pity. If you still want to read it, fine, but don't go in with high expectations.
There is so much wrong with this story that I am genuinely AMAZED anyone can give it more than one star. From the basic, boring, and frankly annoying writing to the obnoxious and unlikable characters to the disgusting use of race as plot devices, I struggle to understand how ANYONE can glean ANY enjoyment out of this story.
I'm not going to elaborate on my thoughts on the writing because what I said is what you need to know, so instead we're going to start with the characters as I have the most to say about them. Vivian is our leading lady and HOLY FUCKING SHIT, IS SHE JUDGMENTAL! From the beginning of the book, all Vivian does is judge other people and put herself on a high pedestal because she's perfect, I guess. Oh no, wait, it's not that she's perfect, it's that everyone is worse than her and she feels superior because of it. Not only that, she's petty, rude, ignorant, AND racist! What a wonderful combo!
Vivian spends pretty much the whole book judging people, plotting revenge, hating others, only caring about herself, and effectively being a massive asshole. And before you ask, I'm gonna spoil this now, she NEVER takes responsibility for her actions. Everything is ALWAYS someone else's fault. Her character has one cheap "redeeming" moment, but it's not nearly enough to excuse her bullshit behavior. I knew she was a fucking atrocious human when she invites over an Italian couple (I forgot to mention, this book takes place in the 50's) for dinner to SPITE HER HUSBAND because he's racist against Italians. I'm going to let that sink in for you...and no, it doesn't get any better from there.
Some of the other things Vivian does throughout the book: lie to her husband about her whereabouts so she can confront someone, manipulates her way into a secured government facility so she can find more dirt AND ends up finding dirt on someone else (we'll discuss her in a bit) and plans to tell papers about said dirt, and consistently eavesdrops on peoples' conversations because she enjoys the power and control she has at her job. Yeah, needless to say she won't be winning any humanitarian awards any time soon.
Moving on from her for a bit, one of the biggest problems with this book is EVERYONE is unlikable, and not just mildly annoying or rude, but straight up disgusting human beings who dispel toxins from their mouths every time they breathe. Betty is definitely second worse next to Vivian (granted both of them are terrible, but whatevs) although she and Vivian show disturbing similarities. Both are vain, both think they're above others, and both are horribly racist. Betty's character is also infuriating because it becomes clear about halfway through the book that Vivian is never going to get any character development in terms of personality, rather her "redemption" is going to be exposing Betty and "taking down the villain" in lieu of, you know, becoming a better person. And, FUCKING SPOILER ALERT, Vivian doesn't end up exposing her, which makes this even worse because now Vivian's just a horrible person with no character development (at least any that matters) without redeeming herself.
Even more insulting, Vera, Vivian's older sister, is a terrible person from start to finish but oh no! She got a stroke and now she feels bad about her actions and wants to make things right before she dies! Now, is this realistic? Yes. Is it put in here purely to pull at your heartstrings, feel sorry for her, and forgive her when she realistically did absolutely nothing to change her bad behavior? HELL FUCKING YES, and that's why this moment fucking sucks and I refuse to feel sorry for her. It was a cheap ploy to get the readers so sympathize with a terrible person without doing anything to make that person sympathetic beforehand.
Speaking of cheap and disgusting ploys, Flora's reveal towards the end pissed me off so badly because it showed that even in 2020 authors are not immune to the good old "race reveal used as a plot device" trope and haven't figured out that that shit doesn't work even if your setting is in the 50's. Any reveal relying on a person's gender, race, sexuality, religion, ethnicity, or mental health is disgusting, cheap, and in incredibly poor taste. Authors, please, STOP FUCKING DOING THIS!
Finally, I mentioned that Vivian never receives any noteworthy character development or growth, but frankly no one does. Once Betty's big reveal happens, she effectively refuses to believe it and goes on pretending she's perfect. And for FUCK'S SAKE, I do NOT want to hear any, "oh well, it fits with her character and there are people like that in the world!" because I DON'T FUCKING CARE. All this reveal proves is that Betty's a fucking terrible person with no depth and exists to be an antagonistic asshat. In fact, NONE of these characters felt like real people, more like caricatures of everyone's greatest faults. Or, more specifically, each GENDER'S faults, because HOLY SHIT, Berg loves gender stereotypes! All men are either lazy, womanizers, cheats, or adult babies, and women are gossips, catty, judgmental, petty, and willing to put others down to make themselves feel better. Human beings at their absolute finest, folks!
In conclusion, I do not recommend this book to ANYONE, even if they want a simple read. The writing is boring, the characters are atrocious, and the story insults you by trying to make you feel sorry for characters who don't deserve any pity. If you still want to read it, fine, but don't go in with high expectations.
alidottie's review against another edition
2.0
2 and half stars
This book was one of those books that felt like it should be better than it was. The main character had a lot of potential, but she used profanity (mostly in her thoughts) all the time, which absolutely ruined the book. Totally unnecessary.
This book was one of those books that felt like it should be better than it was. The main character had a lot of potential, but she used profanity (mostly in her thoughts) all the time, which absolutely ruined the book. Totally unnecessary.
laurenreadsmore's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
sheila713's review against another edition
4.0
This story was a fun read. It tells the story of a small town Ohio family in the 1950s. Vivian is a wife, mother and a switchboard operator. I grew up in the 1950s and lived in a rural area until I was eight. We had a party line, and the neighbors would often listen in on each other's phone calls, as did the operators in this book. Another thing I enjoyed about this read was the settings. I grew up in central NY and moved to Buffalo, NY. Syracuse, Buffalo, Lackawanna are all mentioned in the story and I could picture these places in my mind as I read. There are several characters whose stories are intertwined. At first I wondered what some of them had to do with the overall story, but they all came together when the time was right.
Beneath the story are some lessons. There are different types of prejudice - skin color and social standing are two kinds used in "The Operator". A big takeaway was the need to remember that gossip can be so hurtful to people. Sometimes we deliberately seek to hurt others emotionally, but keep in mind that it may just come back to bite you.
Beneath the story are some lessons. There are different types of prejudice - skin color and social standing are two kinds used in "The Operator". A big takeaway was the need to remember that gossip can be so hurtful to people. Sometimes we deliberately seek to hurt others emotionally, but keep in mind that it may just come back to bite you.
rebroxannape's review against another edition
2.0
Although it did pick up in the last 20 or 25% of the book, I didn't enjoy this. For almost the whole thing, there is not one likable character in the book. In fact, everyone except the daughter Charlotte who has a very minor role is positively contemptible.
The last part of the book is pretty good. All of the subplots and shocking mysteries (the big reveal as to what Vivian, the operator, overheard while eavesdropping is the least of it) start to come together and it ends with some redemption and just deserts. The payoff just not quite worth the long slog to get there. **2 1/2 stars**
https://rebekahsreadingsandwatchings.com/
Charlotte had to roll her eyes and sigh as she explained to her friends, “My mother doesn’t trust people who read books.” Sometimes, but not always, Charlotte liked to stay up late reading. Books, not magazines, which, for the life of her, Vivian couldn’t understand.All of the adults are narrow-minded, snobby, and mean with few if any redeeming characteristics.
The last part of the book is pretty good. All of the subplots and shocking mysteries (the big reveal as to what Vivian, the operator, overheard while eavesdropping is the least of it) start to come together and it ends with some redemption and just deserts. The payoff just not quite worth the long slog to get there. **2 1/2 stars**
https://rebekahsreadingsandwatchings.com/
neens_m's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse
Minor: Gun violence