The Radio Hour

By: Victoria Purman

Narrated by: Jennifer Vuletic

From USA TODAY bestselling author Victoria Purman comes an engaging, clever story about women’s work—often unseen—during Australia’s golden years of radio broadcasting.

Martha Berry is on the brink of fifty years old, unmarried, and one of an army of polite, invisible women who go to work each day at the country’s national broadcaster and get things done without fuss, fanfare, or reward.

When the network prepares to launch a new radio serial in the style of their longest running and most successful show, Martha is transferred to assist the newly hired Quentin Quinn, the man who will write and produce the drama. But Mr. Quinn is wholly unprepared and ill-equipped for the role, clueless about radio and work in general. He’d rather enjoy his cigarettes and imbibe over lengthy lunch breaks and cannot be bothered to call his secretary by her correct name.

Rather than see the new show canceled, Martha steps in to hire a cast and write the scripts for the new show. Her authentic, women-focused storyline snags an ever-growing audience of loyal fans—and causes a stir with management. And Quentin Quinn is more than happy to accept the credit. But Martha’s secret cannot remain hidden. All too soon she faces exposure and must decide if she will politely remain in the shadows—or boldly step into the spotlight.

The Radio Hour is at once a sharp satire exposing the lengths men once employed to keep women out of the workplace and a hopeful tale about how one woman proves her worth and unwittingly outsmarts them all.

"Bestselling Australian author Victoria Purman is one of our nation's most valued storytellers . . . " --Mrs. B's Book Reviews

Critic reviews

'The 1950s workplace was a man's world in Australia as in America . . . How that indignity changes is played out in a cozy, lively, feel-good escape read from one of Australia's best-selling authors.'

'THE RADIO HOUR is fun and heartfelt . . . As I read, I cheered and I booed, as though I were indeed listening to a radio show and eagerly awaiting the next installment. Victoria Purman's writing is effortless and her observations about gender, filtered through the wry Martha, are razor-sharp. A thoroughly enjoyable read!'

Excellent

Really enjoyed this! Narration was excellent, the characters really came to life, and being that it's all about a radio drama it was fun to listen to it rather than read it myself.