Listen free for 30 days
-
Switchboard Soldiers
- A Novel
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 14 hrs and 44 mins
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wish list failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy Now for $7.99
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Publisher's Summary
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.
You may also enjoy...
-
Under the Paper Moon
- Written by: Shaina Steinberg
- Narrated by: Carrie Coello
- Length: 8 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It's 1942, and as far as her father knows, Evelyn Bishop, heiress to an aeronautics fortune, is working as a translator in London. In truth, Evelyn—daring, beautiful, and as adept with a rifle as she is in five languages—has joined the Office of Strategic Services as a spy. Her goal is personal: to find her brother, who is being held as a POW in a Nazi labor camp. Through one high-risk mission after another, she is paired with the reckless and rebellious Nick Gallagher, growing ever close to him until the war's end brings with it an act of deep betrayal.
-
-
anachronistic almost to the point of ridulous
- By Tiffany on 2024-11-15
Written by: Shaina Steinberg
-
Sisters of the Resistance
- A Novel of Catherine Dior's Paris Spy Network
- Written by: Christine Wells
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 11 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Paris, 1944: The war is nearly over, but for members of the Resistance in occupied France, it is more dangerous than ever before. Twenty-five-year-old Gabby Foucher loathes the Nazis, though as the concierge of 10 rue Royale, she does her best to avoid conflict - unlike her bolder sister Yvette, who finds trouble at every turn.
-
-
Awesome
- By Michelle Preyde on 2021-10-19
Written by: Christine Wells
-
Resistance Women
- A Novel
- Written by: Jennifer Chiaverini
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 20 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the New York Times best-selling author of Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker, an enthralling historical saga that recreates the danger, romance, and sacrifice of an era and brings to life one courageous, passionate American - Mildred Fish Harnack - and her circle of women friends who waged a clandestine battle against Hitler in Nazi Berlin.
-
-
Valuable historical fiction…
- By Carolyn Ledwell on 2022-08-25
Written by: Jennifer Chiaverini
-
The Women's March
- A Novel of the 1913 Woman Suffrage Procession
- Written by: Jennifer Chiaverini
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 10 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
An enthralling historical novel of the woman’s suffrage movement inspired by three courageous women who bravely risked their lives and liberty in the fight to win the vote.
-
-
The little known march for women’s vote
- By LK on 2022-10-06
Written by: Jennifer Chiaverini
-
The Canary Girls
- A Novel
- Written by: Jennifer Chiaverini
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 13 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Early in the Great War, men left Britain’s factories in droves to enlist. Struggling to keep up production, arsenals hired women to build the weapons the military urgently needed. “Be the Girl Behind the Man Behind the Gun,” the recruitment posters beckoned. Thousands of women—cooks, maids, shopgirls, and housewives—answered their nation’s call. These “munitionettes” worked grueling shifts often seven days a week, handling TNT and other explosives with little protective gear.
-
-
Annoying narration
- By coach amanda on 2024-05-20
Written by: Jennifer Chiaverini
-
The Woman with the Blue Star
- Written by: Pam Jenoff
- Narrated by: Jennifer Jill Araya, Emily Lawrence, Nancy Peterson
- Length: 12 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the author of The Lost Girls of Paris comes a riveting tale of courage and unlikely friendship during World War II - now a New York Times best seller.
-
-
Absolutely fabulous, fabulous book?!
- By Marion C. on 2023-02-25
Written by: Pam Jenoff
-
Under the Paper Moon
- Written by: Shaina Steinberg
- Narrated by: Carrie Coello
- Length: 8 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It's 1942, and as far as her father knows, Evelyn Bishop, heiress to an aeronautics fortune, is working as a translator in London. In truth, Evelyn—daring, beautiful, and as adept with a rifle as she is in five languages—has joined the Office of Strategic Services as a spy. Her goal is personal: to find her brother, who is being held as a POW in a Nazi labor camp. Through one high-risk mission after another, she is paired with the reckless and rebellious Nick Gallagher, growing ever close to him until the war's end brings with it an act of deep betrayal.
-
-
anachronistic almost to the point of ridulous
- By Tiffany on 2024-11-15
Written by: Shaina Steinberg
-
Sisters of the Resistance
- A Novel of Catherine Dior's Paris Spy Network
- Written by: Christine Wells
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 11 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Paris, 1944: The war is nearly over, but for members of the Resistance in occupied France, it is more dangerous than ever before. Twenty-five-year-old Gabby Foucher loathes the Nazis, though as the concierge of 10 rue Royale, she does her best to avoid conflict - unlike her bolder sister Yvette, who finds trouble at every turn.
-
-
Awesome
- By Michelle Preyde on 2021-10-19
Written by: Christine Wells
-
Resistance Women
- A Novel
- Written by: Jennifer Chiaverini
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 20 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the New York Times best-selling author of Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker, an enthralling historical saga that recreates the danger, romance, and sacrifice of an era and brings to life one courageous, passionate American - Mildred Fish Harnack - and her circle of women friends who waged a clandestine battle against Hitler in Nazi Berlin.
-
-
Valuable historical fiction…
- By Carolyn Ledwell on 2022-08-25
Written by: Jennifer Chiaverini
-
The Women's March
- A Novel of the 1913 Woman Suffrage Procession
- Written by: Jennifer Chiaverini
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 10 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
An enthralling historical novel of the woman’s suffrage movement inspired by three courageous women who bravely risked their lives and liberty in the fight to win the vote.
-
-
The little known march for women’s vote
- By LK on 2022-10-06
Written by: Jennifer Chiaverini
-
The Canary Girls
- A Novel
- Written by: Jennifer Chiaverini
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 13 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Early in the Great War, men left Britain’s factories in droves to enlist. Struggling to keep up production, arsenals hired women to build the weapons the military urgently needed. “Be the Girl Behind the Man Behind the Gun,” the recruitment posters beckoned. Thousands of women—cooks, maids, shopgirls, and housewives—answered their nation’s call. These “munitionettes” worked grueling shifts often seven days a week, handling TNT and other explosives with little protective gear.
-
-
Annoying narration
- By coach amanda on 2024-05-20
Written by: Jennifer Chiaverini
-
The Woman with the Blue Star
- Written by: Pam Jenoff
- Narrated by: Jennifer Jill Araya, Emily Lawrence, Nancy Peterson
- Length: 12 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the author of The Lost Girls of Paris comes a riveting tale of courage and unlikely friendship during World War II - now a New York Times best seller.
-
-
Absolutely fabulous, fabulous book?!
- By Marion C. on 2023-02-25
Written by: Pam Jenoff
-
When We Had Wings
- Written by: Ariel Lawhon, Kristina McMorris, Susan Meissner
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 13 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this sweeping story based on the true experiences of nurses dubbed "the Angels of Bataan," three women shift in and out of each other's lives through the darkest days of the war, buoyed by their unwavering friendship and distant dreams of liberation.
-
-
Great story, audio was a it difficult to follow at the beginning.
- By Anonymous User on 2023-05-29
Written by: Ariel Lawhon, and others
-
The Midwife of Auschwitz
- Written by: Anna Stuart
- Narrated by: Sophie Aldred
- Length: 11 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ana Kaminski is pushed through the iron gates of Auschwitz beside her frightened young friend Ester Pasternak. As they reach the front of the line, Ana steps forward and quietly declares herself a midwife--and Ester her assistant. Their arms are tattooed and they’re ordered to the maternity hut. Holding an innocent newborn baby, Ana knows the fate of so many are in her hands and vows to do everything she can to save them.
-
-
Well done
- By Amazon Customer on 2023-01-21
Written by: Anna Stuart
-
One Woman's War
- A Novel of the Real Miss Moneypenny
- Written by: Christine Wells
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 8 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
World War II London: When Victoire “Paddy” Bennett first walks into the Admiralty’s Room 39, home to the Intelligence Division, all the bright and lively young woman expects is a secretarial position to the charismatic Commander Ian Fleming. But soon her job is so much more, and when Fleming proposes a daring plot to deceive the Germans about Allied invasion plans he requests the newlywed Paddy's help. She jumps at the chance to work as an agent in the field, even after the operation begins to affect her marriage. But could doing her duty for King and country come at too great a cost?
-
-
Could not hold my attention
- By Zeba on 2023-03-14
Written by: Christine Wells
-
The Paris Agent
- Written by: Kelly Rimmer
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Knowelden, Fiona Hardingham, Emma Fenney
- Length: 12 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Twenty-five years after the end of the war, Noah Ainsworth is still preoccupied with those perilous, exhilarating years as a British SOE operative in France. A head injury sustained on his final operation has caused frustrating gaps in his memory—in particular about the agent who saved his life during that mission gone wrong, whose real name he never knew, nor whether she even survived the war.
-
-
Haunting story
- By Lynn on 2024-10-11
Written by: Kelly Rimmer
-
Band of Sisters
- A Novel
- Written by: Lauren Willig
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 15 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A group of young women from Smith College risk their lives in France at the height of World War I in this sweeping novel based on a true story - a skillful blend of Call the Midwife and The Alice Network - from New York Times best-selling author Lauren Willig.
-
-
unbelievably great
- By Mandy Melnyk on 2022-06-28
Written by: Lauren Willig
-
Code Name Hélène
- A Novel
- Written by: Ariel Lawhon
- Narrated by: Barrie Kreinik, Peter Ganim
- Length: 17 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It is 1936, and Nancy Wake is an intrepid Australian expat living in Paris who has bluffed her way into a reporting job for Hearst newspaper when she meets the wealthy French industrialist Henri Fiocca. No sooner does Henri sweep Nancy off her feet and convince her to become Mrs. Fiocca than the Germans invade France and she takes yet another name: a code name. As Lucienne Carlier, Nancy smuggles people and documents across the border and earns a new nickname from the Gestapo for her remarkable ability to evade capture: The White Mouse.
-
-
Excellent story
- By Allen Chocorlan on 2020-07-24
Written by: Ariel Lawhon
-
Take the Long Way Home
- Written by: Rochelle Alers
- Narrated by: Jasmin Walker
- Length: 15 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Freedom fighter, brilliant businessperson, devoted wife, master of languages, and ultimately, savior of a European dynasty. Claudia Patterson would become all of these—spurred on by the fiercely powerful loves and losses along the way … Denny Clark. An abused thirteen-year-old White boy whose life twelve-year-old Claudia saves—complicating her own life for years to come.
Written by: Rochelle Alers
-
The Librarian Spy
- A Novel of World War II
- Written by: Madeline Martin
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 10 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ava thought her job as a librarian at the Library of Congress would mean a quiet, routine existence. But an unexpected offer from the US military has brought her to Lisbon with a new mission: posing as a librarian while working undercover as a spy gathering intelligence. Meanwhile, in occupied France, Elaine has begun an apprenticeship at a printing press run by members of the Resistance. It’s a job usually reserved for men, but in the war, those rules have been forgotten. Yet she knows that the Nazis are searching for the press and its printer in order to silence them.
-
-
A compelling story.
- By Jen C. on 2022-10-16
Written by: Madeline Martin
-
The German Wife
- A Novel
- Written by: Kelly Rimmer
- Narrated by: Nancy Peterson, Ann Marie Gideon
- Length: 13 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Berlin, 1930—When a wave of change sweeps a radical political party to power, Sofie von Meyer Rhodes’s academic husband benefits from the ambitions of its newly elected chancellor. Although Sofie and Jürgen do not share the social views growing popular in Hitler’s Germany, Jürgen’s position with its burgeoning rocket program changes their diminishing fortunes for the better. But as Sofie watches helplessly, her beloved Berlin begins to transform, forcing her to consider what they must sacrifice morally for their young family’s security, and what the price for their neutrality will be.
-
-
Spellbinding story which incites Empathy
- By Kathleen S on 2022-10-28
Written by: Kelly Rimmer
-
Code Name Sapphire
- Written by: Pam Jenoff
- Narrated by: Nancy Peterson
- Length: 13 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
1942. Hannah Martel has narrowly escaped Nazi Germany after her fiancé was killed in a pogrom. When her ship bound for America is turned away at port, she has nowhere to go but to her cousin Lily, who lives with her family in Brussels. Fearful for her life, Hannah is desperate to get out of occupied Europe. But with no safe way to leave, she must return to the dangerous underground work she thought she had left behind.
-
-
Gripping
- By Pam D on 2023-12-15
Written by: Pam Jenoff
-
Memories of the Lost
- A Novel
- Written by: Barbara O'Neal
- Narrated by: Sarah Zimmerman
- Length: 8 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Months after her mother passes away, artist Tillie Morrisey sees a painting in a gallery that leaves her inexplicably lightheaded and unsteady. When a handsome stranger comes to her aid, their connection is so immediate it seems fated, though Liam is only visiting for a few days. Working on her own art has always been a refuge, but after discovering a document among her mother’s belongings that suggests Tillie’s life has been a lie, she begins to suffer from a series of fugue states, with memories surfacing that she isn’t even sure are her own.
-
-
Whimsical
- By Julia on 2024-11-11
Written by: Barbara O'Neal
-
Signal Moon
- A Short Story
- Written by: Kate Quinn
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld, Andrew Gibson
- Length: 1 hr and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Yorkshire, 1943. Lily Baines, a bright young debutante increasingly ground down by an endless war, has traded in her white gloves for a set of headphones. It’s her job to intercept enemy naval communications and send them to Bletchley Park for decryption. One night, she picks up a transmission that isn’t code at all—it’s a cry for help.
-
-
Male Performance was Awful
- By KJH on 2024-10-22
Written by: Kate Quinn
What listeners say about Switchboard Soldiers
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Michelle Preyde
- 2023-06-01
Excellent story
Well told. Amazing narration. And educational in an entertaining manner. I don’t know enough about WW1. This story is enlightening without being political. If you enjoy stories about the women who made a difference during difficult times, you will enjoy this story.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Maureen Sitch
- 2022-09-01
Awesome Book!
A very well written account of unsung heroes that helped shape the outcome of WW1. Strong women who are both battle ready and compassionate.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 2024-01-31
History Told
WW1 story of women who broke gender barriers and became the first woman to serve in the military. Not only did they overcome challenges, the Spanish flu, etc. but they were never recognized as US military soldiers until 60 years after their service. The switchboard, Soliders received ranks, and we’re saluted as they served in World War I, but did not receive pensions or the acknowledgement that they served as military personnel until years later. This book was very researched. I highly recommend it. 
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- jennifer j.
- 2023-03-16
switch board Soldiers
Always enjoy learning about unsung women hero’s of the war.It took 60 years to finally get justice and benefit s of their soldier years of determination and dedication and perseverance.History is interesting as gender bias still exists in this 20th century and women still don’t get recognition and credit for their achievements by the moral majority of men
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Tova
- 2023-06-05
Wonderful deciated women
I really enjoyed reading this book. I loved the heart of these women... I learnt how more women played a vital part in WW i ...
I highly recommend this book as a 'excellent read'...
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Westy
- 2022-11-13
History via Fiction
I love when history can be told through a fictional account. Possible conversations and historic records tell the truth of this story. Saskia Maarleveld, our gifted narrator, reads a very detailed story of French and English-speaking American (mainly) women tasked with being telephone switchboard operators during the First World War. War is not just about the men. Listen and wonder.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- LK
- 2022-10-04
An untold story of the role of women in WW1
I knew nothing about how women telephone operators helped to win the war in Europe. This book was
well researched. The details of survival despite the pandemic and consistent bombing was enlightening. I highly recommend this novel.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Julie Clayton
- 2023-01-23
History worth knowing
Very interesting and enlightening listen. It’s a shame it took so long for the American government to acknowledge these women’s brave effort in the great war.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kandy
- 2023-02-20
Beautifully read
A great story about history of women. I had no idea of this these strong women in WW1. The oration was so well done.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!