
Switchboard Soldiers
A Novel
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Narrated by:
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Saskia Maarleveld
About this listen
From New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Chiaverini, a bold, revelatory novel about one of the great untold stories of World War I—the women of the U.S. Army Signal Corps, who broke down gender barriers in the military and battled a pandemic as they helped lead the Allies to victory.
“An eye-opening and detailed novel about remarkable female soldiers. . . Chiaverini weaves the intersecting threads of these brave women’s lives together, highlighting their deep sense of pride and duty.”—Kirkus Reviews
In June 1917, General John Pershing arrived in France to establish American forces in Europe. He immediately found himself unable to communicate with troops in the field. Pershing needed telephone operators who could swiftly and accurately connect multiple calls, speak fluent French and English, remain steady under fire, and be utterly discreet, since the calls often conveyed classified information.
At the time, nearly all well-trained American telephone operators were women—but women were not permitted to enlist, or even to vote in most states. Nevertheless, the U.S. Army Signal Corps promptly began recruiting them.
More than 7,600 women responded, including Grace Banker of New Jersey, a switchboard instructor with AT&T and an alumna of Barnard College; Marie Miossec, a Frenchwoman and aspiring opera singer; and Valerie DeSmedt, a twenty-year-old Pacific Telephone operator from Los Angeles, determined to strike a blow for her native Belgium.
They were among the first women sworn into the U.S. Army under the Articles of War. The male soldiers they had replaced had needed one minute to connect each call. The switchboard soldiers could do it in ten seconds.
Deployed throughout France, including near the front lines, the operators endured hardships and risked death or injury from gunfire, bombardments, and the Spanish Flu. Not all of them would survive.
The women of the U.S. Army Signal Corps served with honor and played an essential role in achieving the Allied victory. Their story has never been the focus of a novel…until now.
©2022 Jennifer Chiaverini (P)2022 HarperCollins PublishersListeners also enjoyed...
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Overall
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In 1860 the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow family celebrated Christmas at Craigie House, their home in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The publication of Longfellow's classic Revolutionary War poem, "Paul Revere's Ride", was less than a month hence, and the country's grave political unrest weighed heavily on his mind. Yet with his beloved wife, Fanny, and their five adored children at his side, the delights of the season prevailed.
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I had a hard time following the story line
- By ypsiabby on 05-27-16
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Mrs. Lincoln's Rival
- By: Jennifer Chiaverini
- Narrated by: Christina Moore
- Length: 17 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Kate Chase Sprague was born in 1840 in Cincinnati, Ohio, the second daughter to the second wife of a devout but ambitious lawyer. Her father, Salmon P. Chase, rose to prominence in the antebellum years and was appointed secretary of the treasury in Abraham Lincoln' s cabinet, while aspiring to even greater heights. Beautiful, intelligent, regal, and entrancing, young Kate Chase stepped into the role of establishing her thrice-widowed father in Washington society and as a future presidential candidate.
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dull
- By rosalinda lucero on 10-21-14
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The Girl from the Train
- By: Irma Joubert
- Narrated by: Sarah Zimmerman
- Length: 11 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Six-year-old Gretl Schmidt is on a train bound for Auschwitz. Jakób Kowalski is planting a bomb on the tracks. As World War II draws to a close, Jakób fights with the Polish resistance against the crushing forces of Germany and Russia. They mean to destroy a German troop transport, but Gretl's unscheduled train reaches the bomb first. Gretl is the only survivor.
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Excellent story covering the middle of the 20th C.
- By john on 04-12-16
By: Irma Joubert
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The Keeper of Hidden Books
- A Novel
- By: Madeline Martin
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 10 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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All her life, Zofia has found comfort in two things during times of hardship: books and her best friend, Janina. But no one could have imagined the horrors of the Nazi occupation in Warsaw. As the bombs rain down and Hitler’s forces loot and destroy the city, Zofia finds that now books are also in need of saving. With the death count rising and persecution intensifying, Zofia jumps to action to save her friend and salvage whatever books she can from the wreckage, hiding them away, and even starting a clandestine book club.
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Audiobook of the year for me, truly exceptional!
- By john on 08-02-23
By: Madeline Martin
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Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker
- By: Jennifer Chiaverini
- Narrated by: Christina Moore
- Length: 14 hrs
- Unabridged
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In Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker, novelist Jennifer Chiaverini presents a stunning account of the friendship that blossomed between Mary Todd Lincoln and her seamstress, Elizabeth 'Lizzie' Keckley, a former slave who gained her professional reputation in Washington, D.C. by outfitting the city’s elite. Keckley made history by sewing for First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln within the White House, a trusted witness to many private moments between the President and his wife, two of the most compelling figures in American history.
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A Wonderful Re-Imagining of Mrs. Keckley's Life
- By Melissa on 03-04-13
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The Third Daughter
- A Novel
- By: Talia Carner
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 10 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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The turn of the 20th century finds 14-year-old Batya in the Russian countryside, fleeing with her family endless pogroms. Desperate, her father leaps at the opportunity to marry Batya to a worldly, wealthy stranger who can guarantee his daughter an easy life and passage to America. Feeling like a princess in a fairytale, Batya leaves her old life behind as she is whisked away to a new world. But soon, she discovers that she’s entered a waking nightmare. Her new “husband” does indeed bring her to America.
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brilliant novel based on shocking truth
- By Rochelle Jewel Shapiro on 07-05-20
By: Talia Carner
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The Girls in Navy Blue
- A Novel
- By: Alix Rickloff
- Narrated by: Dylan Moore, Carlotta Brentan
- Length: 13 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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1918 - America is at war with Germany, and, for the first time in history, the US Navy has allowed women to join up alongside the men. Ten thousand of them rush to do their part. German-American Marjory Kunwald enlists in the Navy to prove her patriotism. Suffragette Blanche Lawrence to prove that women are the equal of men. And shy preacher’s daughter Viv Weston in a desperate attempt to hide from the police.
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Great book!
- By Deborah Hayes on 12-09-22
By: Alix Rickloff
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A View Across the Rooftops
- By: Suzanne Kelman
- Narrated by: Alan Medcroft
- Length: 13 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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Would you risk your life to save just one person? An incredible story of love, hope, and friendship; and a testament to humanity and courage in history’s darkest days. 1941, Nazi-occupied Amsterdam. Professor Josef Held has never recovered from the loss of his beloved wife - and has no intention of ever letting anyone new into his quiet, safe world. But then the Nazis come for the Jews - and Mrs Epstein is killed. And Josef, in an impulsive act of courage, offers his student Michael Blum a place to hide.
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Didn’t want it to end!
- By Daylelianna on 10-30-19
By: Suzanne Kelman
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The Black Swan of Paris
- A WWII Novel
- By: Karen Robards
- Narrated by: Nancy Peterson
- Length: 16 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Celebrated singer Genevieve Dumont is both a star and a smokescreen. An unwilling darling of the Nazis, the chanteuse’s position of privilege allows her to go undetected as an ally to the resistance. When her estranged mother, Lillian de Rocheford, is captured by Nazis, Genevieve knows it won’t be long before the Gestapo succeeds in torturing information out of Lillian that will derail the upcoming allied invasion. The resistance movement is tasked with silencing her by any means necessary - including assassination.
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Where to Start?
- By celeste curley on 10-05-20
By: Karen Robards
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The Historians
- A Thrilling Novel of Conspiracy and Intrigue During World War II
- By: Cecilia Ekbäck
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 11 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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It is 1943 and Sweden’s neutrality in the war is under pressure. Laura Dahlgren, the bright, young right-hand of the chief negotiator to Germany, is privy to these tensions, even as she tries to keep her head down in the mounting fray. However, when Laura’s best friend from university, Britta, is discovered murdered in cold blood, Laura is determined to find the killer.
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Misleading "history"
- By Catherine on 03-30-21
By: Cecilia Ekbäck
What listeners say about Switchboard Soldiers
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- Marie G.
- 06-01-23
BRAVE WOMEN — PIONEERS FOR THE FUTURE OF WONEN IN THE MILITARY!
I learned a LOT from this book. Until reading it, I had no idea the “Switchboard Operators” had even existed!
Though much of this story might have been fictional, it was based on real events. I’m sure conditions were even more difficult than were described. The ladies that were brave enough to answer the call of duty and to march into the largely unknown (including going up against the prejudice of some men who were not thrilled about women in the military), have my UTMOST respect!
For me, the book started off very slowly (I wasn’t sure I would be able to stick with it, but I’m glad I did). There was a long introduction to each of the main characters and their home lives before joining the military. It was Chapter 8 before the women got to their first overseas posting and began their journey overseas and began forging lifelong friendships.
The book began to pick up from there, although there were places where I felt the story lagged. I often set my timer at night so the novel would play for 30-minutes, and I would often fall asleep before the timer finished. The next day, I MIGHT wind the story back six or seven clicks, I might not. It was easy enough to keep going and figure out what I might have missed.
During the story I found myself repeatedly thinking how amazing these ladies were as individuals and as a cohesive group. They held themselves to extremely high standards, and even in the face of great danger, the refused to leave their posts until the last male soldier left theirs. They realized what an important role they had and would not abandon their post until a building was literally crashing down around their heads and they literally had to be DRAGGED away from their switchboards!
I would be remiss to not mention what a great job the narrator did in this novel. She has a lovely voice as well as a lovely French accent. I would be HAPPY to listen her read again.
I have to say, the Epilogue to this book made me ANGRY! The Epilogue reveals that once the women were no longer needed in Europe and were returned home, they found they had not been granted the status of “soldiers,” and as such, were not entitled to any of the benefits their male counterparts received. This just infuriated me. No Veteran’s benefits, no healthcare, no recognition of their service and sacrifices as soldiers…NOTHING.
I was never a fan of Jimmy Carter. But after hearing in the Epilogue that in 1977, a full 60-years after the womens’ distinguished service, Carter granted them full soldier status, and all the benefits attached to this status, his “stock” went up immeasurably with me!
It truly angered (but didn’t surprise) me that despite all they had given, all they had sacrificed to be part of that important time in our world history, the government/military screwed them over. It’s a little late now to fix it, but I’m glad the 50 female soldiers still alive at the time they were awarded soldier status and this book was published, were still alive to see their services recognized and APPRECIATED! They were finally recognized as being TRUE soldiers. It should have been done from the moment they signed on. They never should have had to fight and beg for the status they EARNED. The government’s poor treatment of these women is SHAMEFUL.😡
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3 people found this helpful
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- MLB
- 03-10-23
Loved this book!
This was so well written! It made me feel like I was right there watching the story unfold. You will love it.
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- Yvonne
- 09-09-23
Switchboard Soldiers
The writing and narration were very well done in this audiobook. I learned a lot from this book about this time period, world war 1 and the switchboard soldiers. I found it very interesting. My only complaint is that the author wrote too much detail into the story and she repeated certain aspects of the story over and over again, too many times.
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- Shanna Payne
- 03-13-24
Amazing
From the beginning this story held my attention. It moved at a good pace while at the same time feeling like you were there. I felt like I knew each of these amazing women. Definitely a book I will listen to again. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys listening to a good book with a great narrator.
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- E. MacCormick
- 12-31-24
how much danger the women faced
I would have liked more connections btwn reg army and women. regardless of rules
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- J. John
- 02-28-25
Really good story
Loved the narrator. She’s one of my favorites. The story is awesome in terms of its strength of the characters and the way it stayed true to historical accounts. Although I liked all of the characters there were too many at too many locations and it was hard to track sometimes. I just decided to enjoy the part I was listening to instead of trying to figure out how the parts fit together. Love this author. This book was good and I’m glad I listened, but it wasn’t great like others of hers I have listened to.
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- ohva
- 07-20-22
Having lots of trouble with the narration
I have listened to a few hundred Audible books. I’ve listened to and read a lot of Chiaverini novels. A first for me, I may not be able to finish this book on Audible because of the narration. The narrator is speed reading monotone through the book to the point it’s hard to even follow what is going on. . It’s like an school assignment she wants to get done with. The voice changes from character to character are also overdone, and often substituting loud for voice changes.
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8 people found this helpful
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- David Andree
- 05-15-24
amazing courage and loyalty
enjoyed this warm and interesting slice of history of ww 1. interestingly in the 1960s telephone switchboard operators we still saying number please and using plugboards in Nebraska.
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1 person found this helpful
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- BarbieAlaska
- 07-25-22
Thank you
for writing this book. The story is well done and perfect for many hours I spent weeding my gardens.
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- LSuzieClark
- 07-22-22
I Loved This
I found this author through her quilting series and I devoured all of them. However, I haven't always enjoyed her other stories. This was a huge win though with the writing putting you inside the story. You are right beside the characters as they make history.
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