Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

26 reviews

the_true_monroe's review

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

5.0

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, Lesbophobia, Racism, and Xenophobia

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

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

gilnean's review against another edition

emotional hopeful 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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Lesbophobia, Sexual content, Misogyny, Toxic friendship, Racism, Colonisation, Alcohol, Homophobia, Xenophobia, Sexism, Bullying, Sexual harassment, Racial slurs, Outing, Cultural appropriation, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Deportation, Miscarriage, and Blood

Minor: Forced institutionalization, Violence, Drug use, Classism, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Excrement, War, Gore, and Adult/minor relationship

charlx_otte's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia and Lesbophobia

Moderate: Toxic friendship and Physical abuse

The homophobia/lesbophobia is very period-typical and the physical abuse is the mother slapping the child, so do tread lightly with this book, stay safe out there <3

nightworldlove's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful informative inspiring 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? It's complicated

4.75

Absolutely loved this (audio) book and its narrator, who did a great job! It was really easy to immerse and the story quickly grabbed my full interest. I think it's amazing to have a book about how things were for the queer community back in 1950s, yet doesn't have the devastating ending that I was low-key fearing. Loved Lily and Kath and Lily's exploration of her sexuality <3

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Alcohol, and Gaslighting

Minor: Physical abuse, Mental illness, Outing, Sexism, and Xenophobia

admunro20's review

emotional hopeful inspiring 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

5.0

This book is absolutely amazing! The dynamic between Lily and Kath is amazing and I love them so much!!! I want their life to be happy and filled with joy. I loved this book so much! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Outing, Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Racism, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Misogyny, Physical abuse, and Bullying

Minor: Deportation and Domestic abuse

smithreads's review

challenging emotional funny 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Outing, Racism, Alcohol, Sexual content, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Sexual harassment, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Physical abuse, Racial slurs, and Deportation

Minor: Drug use, Adult/minor relationship, Hate crime, War, Violence, Forced institutionalization, and Gaslighting

swaggyfrog's review against another edition

hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

my time not spent reading this was spent thinking about getting back to it. i am glad to live in the time i live in now, i am grateful for the people before me whose lives were like lily hu's, and i am both excited and resentful of those who will come after me. i love you lesbians ❤️🧡🤍🩷❤️

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Lesbophobia, Homophobia, Racism, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Deportation, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Alcohol, and War

Minor: Infertility, Miscarriage, Outing, Physical abuse, Police brutality, and Classism

lizziaha's review against another edition

• Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

Kath my love 🥹 I found all of the stories in this book to be interesting, I was just a little perplexed by the organization of some of the inclusions. I also wanted more from each of them. I think a little expansion would’ve helped me understand the characters and their choices a little more. I did really appreciate the careful description of food in this book. It was mouthwateringly realistic. And the depiction of queer community was incredibly heartwarming. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Racism, Toxic friendship, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Deportation and Alcohol

Minor: Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Physical abuse, Child abuse, and Sexual harassment

emfass's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad 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

5.0

Oh god, my heart. I loved this book. Also realized in reading it that I don't think I've read much historical fiction with queer characters at the center. I cannot fully express what it meant to me to spend time with a character coming into her queerness in the 1950s. It was heartbreaking and validating all at once. 

I also ended up loving the interludes where Lo added chapters from the point of view of Lily's parents and aunt, to give voice to the many ways immigration, racism, and living a life spanning multiple cultures affects people.

I deeply appreciate the way Malinda Lo incorporated so much research as well as inspiration from her own family to create such a realistic, respectful view into San Francisco's Chinatown in the 1950s. I also loved reading her Author's Note at the end, which gave historical context to so much of the story. 

I listened to this on audio and narrator Emily Woo Zeller was wonderful.

This is going to be one of my favorite reads of 2023.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, Alcohol, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Outing, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Abandonment, Child abuse, Police brutality, Sexual content, Deportation, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, and War

Minor: Forced institutionalization, Miscarriage, and Body horror

adymae11's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Wholesome. Heart-wrenching. A beautiful tribute to forgotten, marginalized queer elders. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Lesbophobia, Xenophobia, Toxic friendship, and Racism

Moderate: Racial slurs, Sexual content, and Sexism

Minor: Forced institutionalization and Physical abuse