Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

75 reviews

mostlykenny's review against another edition

5.0

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

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This book was amazing !! If you’re into historical fiction and into queer discovery then I’d recommend this !! Also I’d recommend to read the Authors Note because it gives out some inspiring and informative information and history about what is like to be queer, Asian America, and most especially lesbian in the 1950s plus nineteen century. Please read this book. It is outstanding and  beautiful. 5 stars.  ⭐️

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Outing

Moderate: Drug use, Racial slurs, Racism, Police brutality, Toxic friendship, Alcohol

Minor: Miscarriage

I was so happy that Kath and Lily found each other at the end in the Epilogue !! I’m so happy for them :)

ottercorg's review

4.5

emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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It always feels strange for me to call a book that wrenches my heart "a delight" but that's what this was. From beginning to end, I delighted in getting to know Lily through the pages and see her grow into herself, no matter the cost. Young love, finding one's identity, taking risks, figuring out who your friends are - it's something we all have to go through, but the circumstances make it all the more difficult for our main character.

I truly love Lo's writing style, especially the callbacks to earlier moments via parentheses between text. It's a simple detail that I just ate up. I admire Lo for her commitment to research in writing this book, and then for sharing her findings after her story ended. I think I'll definitely find myself reading more of her books in the future.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Drug use, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Racism, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Lesbophobia, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, War, Deportation

tey_lynn's review against another edition

3.75

emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Sexism, Xenophobia, Toxic friendship, Alcohol

Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Drug use, Miscarriage, Deportation

charliebites's review

4.5

emotional funny informative lighthearted reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Outing, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Classism

Moderate: Miscarriage, Misogyny, War, Deportation

Minor: Drug use, Sexism, Transphobia, Police brutality, Medical trauma, Sexual harassment

kajoreads's review

3.5

emotional hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

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Idk why I didn’t like it more.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, Lesbophobia, Outing

Moderate: Child abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Police brutality, Alcohol, War, Deportation

Minor: Drug use, Miscarriage, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment

adalinemccormick's review

4.5

adventurous emotional informative tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, Lesbophobia, Outing

Moderate: Drug use, Alcohol, Deportation

Minor: Miscarriage, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality

paula357's review

4.25

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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I enjoyed the second half of the book so much more than the first, when the story finally picked up its speed. personally, I would have liked the book to be a little bit more hopeful, which is a common experience with queer books for me. still, I grew to love the characters throughout the book and would have loved to read more about their happiness (even though the tragedy is a central part of the story)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Racism, Lesbophobia, Outing, Alcohol

clarkg's review

4.25

adventurous emotional inspiring reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, Lesbophobia, Outing

Moderate: Homophobia, Police brutality, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, War, Deportation

Minor: Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Sexual harassment

aysha_blake's review

4.75

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Lesbophobia, Outing, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Deportation

Moderate: Xenophobia, Grief, War

Minor: Miscarriage, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Pregnancy

the_true_monroe's review

5.0

emotional informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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I love reading books that focus on the impact of intersectionality (how multiple parts of someone’s identity relate to each other) on people’s life experiences, and while there are an increasing number of those, this one stood out to me as also being historical fiction. Most I have read are featured in present day or are memoirs.

Last Night at the Telegraph Club is a coming of age novel surrounding a Chinese American child of an immigrant, living in 1950s San Francisco, who realizes she is attracted to women and that there are many others like her. With McCarthyism brings both The Red Scare and the Lavender Scare to a time where racist and homophobic sentiments were already through the roof. Lily and her family and friend’s experiences portray very multifaceted and underrepresented stories in a way that readers can easily follow and become connected to the characters. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Racism, Xenophobia, Lesbophobia

Moderate: Misogyny, Sexual content, Outing, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol

Minor: Body shaming, Drug use, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Police brutality, Medical content, Sexual harassment, War, Deportation