Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

42 reviews

sleepydruid's review

5.0

emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense 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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Police brutality

Moderate: Bullying, Racism

aussiewren's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous emotional 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: Complicated

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Content Warnings

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Police brutality, Lesbophobia, Outing, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Deportation

nicolinebl's review

3.75

challenging reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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Not the easiest book to get into, and I didn't care much for the perspectives besides Lily's; I can see why they were added though.

This book builds up slowly and really started to get interesting halfway through. Lily and Kath were some wonderful characters to get to know; others, not so much. 

Lily discovering her queerness felt very true to my own experience, I was happy with the authenticity and portrayal of her and Kath and all the other wonderful people at the Telegraph Club.

I don't really read a lot of historical fiction - but having read three in a row - I'm really getting into the genre. 
Turns out that I like learning about things that actually took place, throughout the viewpoint of a fictional person.

The ending was very tense but also slightly hopeful towards the future. I'm so done with bad endings for lesbian/queer couples, so this one by all means wasn't as 'bury your gays' as most, and probably quite a realistic take on a relationship off that point in time. 

All and all I think it's a wonderful book, but it's by no means a lighthearted novel.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, Lesbophobia

Moderate: Racial slurs, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Outing, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, War

Minor: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexual content, Trafficking, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Deportation

phoenixknight's review against another edition

5.0

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Wow. This book touched on so many different topics (the Red Scare, homophobia, racism etc) in such a beautiful way. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, Xenophobia, Lesbophobia

Moderate: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Deportation

lelareads's review

5.0

challenging emotional inspiring fast-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

Moderate: Homophobia, Racism, Xenophobia, Lesbophobia, Outing, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol

Minor: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, War, Injury/Injury detail, Deportation

tomorrow_lauren's review

5.0

challenging emotional hopeful 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: Complicated

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Emotional, deep, and full of confusion, love and terror in a time where existing was challenging for the leads. Malinda Lo's prose is both straight forward and yet evocative and she draws Chinatown in 1954 through the eyes of Lily, a confused, romantic teenager who simply wants to love and be loved. And to go to space. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Racism, Transphobia, Violence, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Lesbophobia, Outing

heyitslink's review

4.5

hopeful inspiring sad 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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A very real history told type of book. Obviously recommended for LGBT+ readers. Allies could of course read it but it really brings you into the persecution of LGBT+ and Chinese Americans. There is not anything necessarily wrong with the book itself for it to deserve a 4.5 but there is

a explicit scene and the characters are still in high school.

I personally just don't like it when they are

underage.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, Racism, Sexism, Lesbophobia, Toxic friendship, War

Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Deportation

Minor: Bullying, Emotional abuse

This is obviously a type of book that people would try to ban. It is very eye-opening when realizing that this could be brought back in today's America with decaying Orange in office now. It is also just a lot harder to be gay while growing up in a POC family. POC especially back then tried to tightly fit into the American dream of having a picture perfect "white" family where no one was different or in this case, gay. Really places you into the characters shoes where a lot of people have to shut out their family sometimes to be who they truly are.

etpreads's review

5.0

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring 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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Racism

Moderate: Racial slurs, Lesbophobia, Outing, Toxic friendship

Minor: Emotional abuse, Infertility, Sexual content, Deportation

teawitchontravel's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional informative inspiring sad tense slow-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, Lesbophobia, Outing, Toxic friendship

Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Police brutality, War

Minor: Misogyny, Sexual content, Sexual harassment

gabsoulutely's review

5.0

challenging hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense 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: Complicated

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If I could give this book a 6 out of 5, I would. This was such a special read, like the world in the 50's was plucked from the timeline and given to me firsthand. I really liked seeing how Lily became her own person and fell in love with Kath. I loved Kath throughout this book

and I really hope this story had a happy ending.

I'd like to think that these characters stayed together and remained in love despite all the cultural challenges of their time. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Xenophobia