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Reviews tagging 'Adult/minor relationship'
Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
37 reviews
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
I bought this book on a whim and it offered exactly what I was hoping and more. Everything about this book is perfect to me, from the relationship between Kath and Lily, the historical research that made it feel like you were right there, and the writing style that described things super well.
First, I want to talk about the amazing research put into this book. It's clear that so much research was done to make this book as historically accurate as possible, along with the author's own personal family history. I loved the end after the story where it went more into the research and history of that time and how Lily's story came to be from this. As a lesbian history nerd, I really appreciated this and it added an extra layer to the story.
I also loved the almost found family-like quality with the women that Lily meets at the Telegraph Club. Obviously, there were some microaggressions that happened at the bar, which you know instantly how Lily is affected by them, but all of the women who play main roles are kind and loving people. Lana Jackson was one of my favorite characters, and the scenes where Lily stays at her house for a little while felt so real and showed how the community banded together under this shared oppression. The author also really makes you care about Tommy, as when I read the part where she gets arrested, I felt legitimately sad about it and was worried what was going to happen to her. All of the relationships are great too, even the ones that aren't Lily and Kath's. They're well fleshed out and make the world seem more expansive around the main character, like other characters have their own lives outside of Lily's.
Lily's relationship with her family and Shirley was also very well done. A line I specifically remember was when Lily was about to tell her mom that she was actually at the Telegraph Club on purpose and she thinks, "You'll never look at me like this again." I started crying at that part because it perfectly encapsulated the grief and pain us queer people have to go through that have to deal with our families and worrying that they are no longer going to love us. Another scene is where Lily is talking with her brother and her brother says he doesn't care, she's still his sister, and that part just made me sob. The parts with Shirley where Lily is doubting their friendship because Shirley is being controlling and homophobic also were great, because in those moments you are on the side with Lily. The moments where her dad is also worrying about being deported felt very real and showed just how dangerous being Chinese during this time was.
The writing style was also, in my opinion, great. The simplicity of it was very appreciated, and it made the comparisons and poetic moments stand out so much more and hit so much harder.
I could go on and on about this book, but I'll leave it there. Overall, this book is beautiful and one of my favorites now, and I'm looking forward to reading more from the author.
First, I want to talk about the amazing research put into this book. It's clear that so much research was done to make this book as historically accurate as possible, along with the author's own personal family history. I loved the end after the story where it went more into the research and history of that time and how Lily's story came to be from this. As a lesbian history nerd, I really appreciated this and it added an extra layer to the story.
Lily's relationship with her family and Shirley was also very well done. A line I specifically remember was when Lily was about to tell her mom that she was actually at the Telegraph Club on purpose and she thinks, "You'll never look at me like this again." I started crying at that part because it perfectly encapsulated the grief and pain us queer people have to go through that have to deal with our families and worrying that they are no longer going to love us. Another scene is where Lily is talking with her brother and her brother says he doesn't care, she's still his sister, and that part just made me sob. The parts with Shirley where Lily is doubting their friendship because Shirley is being controlling and homophobic also were great, because in those moments you are on the side with Lily. The moments where her dad is also worrying about being deported felt very real and showed just how dangerous being Chinese during this time was.
The writing style was also, in my opinion, great. The simplicity of it was very appreciated, and it made the comparisons and poetic moments stand out so much more and hit so much harder.
I could go on and on about this book, but I'll leave it there. Overall, this book is beautiful and one of my favorites now, and I'm looking forward to reading more from the author.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Alcohol
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
Minor: War
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, Xenophobia, Lesbophobia
Moderate: Child abuse, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Sexism, Sexual content, Police brutality, Outing, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, War
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Gore, Miscarriage, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail
Deportation and other immigration troubles, particularly relating to the post-WWII Red Scare. Setting-typical dated language. Mentions of teacher-student relationships in a film; brief suggestive advances on a teenager by an adult. Non-graphic sex between two seventeen-year-olds and short descriptions of sex scenes in pulp novels. Police raid on a gay bar. Underage drinking and smoking. Scene where a parent slaps a child. One scene featuring an air raid drill at school and discussion of atomic bombs.
emotional
hopeful
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
I don't even know how to describe what this book means to me. I haven't seen that much queer Asian representation in media, so it was amazing to see that here. Especially her family's reaction to her coming out.
I think it's more heartbreaking that everyone in Lily's life who disapprove simply don't understand. They love her and just want the best for her. Her parents, her aunt. Even Shirley must have cared about her. But that doesn't change how traumatic an experience this was for Lily. She was never really heard.
I was really pissed off at Lily's mom for getting mad at her for running away. How can you make your home an unsafe space for your child and then be mad that she doesn't want to be there? I love Lily's brother for offering to beat people up for her though.
The epilogue was bittersweet to me because she's still close with her family, but to me, it's clear that they still don't like the fact that she's gay. And yet, she's found a way to keep in touch with Kath and they're together again. She can be in both worlds, but not at the same time. It's sad, but I guess I would rather see it positively: she's able to find a way to be queer, successful, and happy despite the obstacles.
I was really pissed off at Lily's mom for getting mad at her for running away. How can you make your home an unsafe space for your child and then be mad that she doesn't want to be there? I love Lily's brother for offering to beat people up for her though.
The epilogue was bittersweet to me because she's still close with her family, but to me, it's clear that they still don't like the fact that she's gay. And yet, she's found a way to keep in touch with Kath and they're together again. She can be in both worlds, but not at the same time. It's sad, but I guess I would rather see it positively: she's able to find a way to be queer, successful, and happy despite the obstacles.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Racial slurs, Sexism, Xenophobia, Lesbophobia, Outing, Alcohol, Sexual harassment
Moderate: Racism, Sexual content, Toxic friendship
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Miscarriage, War
emotional
hopeful
informative
medium-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
This is a coming-of-age novel about a young Chinese American lesbian in 1950s San Francisco. There is a romance, but the book is much more focused on themes of belonging, self-discovery and community. The main character is at a sort of crossroads where it is dangerous to be herself: her family sees it as a risk to be a lesbian not just because of 1950s homophobia but because homosexuality is associated with communism and as Chinese Americans they are already automatically tarred with that brush; when she's in gay spaces she tends to be the only Asian and is treated like a sideshow attraction even by people who are kind to her.
The ways that Lily discovered that there were people like her who could lead full lives really rang true to me (Lily realizing women could kiss each other from reading pulps at the drug store is also an interesting tie in to Malinda Lo’s own work considering that she was writing mainstream LGBT YA in the pretty sparse early 2000s market) and despite the traumatic things that happen overall the book has an optimistic tone that I liked.
The ways that Lily discovered that there were people like her who could lead full lives really rang true to me (Lily realizing women could kiss each other from reading pulps at the drug store is also an interesting tie in to Malinda Lo’s own work considering that she was writing mainstream LGBT YA in the pretty sparse early 2000s market) and despite the traumatic things that happen overall the book has an optimistic tone that I liked.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Outing, Toxic friendship, Alcohol
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Miscarriage, Violence, Forced institutionalization
Adult/minor relationships are speculated on by some characters and appear in a sensational newspaper article, but there are no relationships like that on the page.
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
In my opinion, Lo does a really good job of slowing down to describe the setting at the right times, we all know that author that uses too many descriptors and the book ends up not being enjoyable. especially on the last page, the way that Lo uses descriptive language is very good.
I was totally engulfed in the plot, but I didn’t give it 5 stars because Kath’s character fell a little flat. She has like 2 personality traits: wanting to be a pilot and being a lesbian. In that area, I thought that Lily’s characterization was beautifully brought together, all her intersecting identities coming together in the end and all of them being prominent.
I was totally engulfed in the plot, but I didn’t give it 5 stars because Kath’s character fell a little flat. She has like 2 personality traits: wanting to be a pilot and being a lesbian. In that area, I thought that Lily’s characterization was beautifully brought together, all her intersecting identities coming together in the end and all of them being prominent.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Xenophobia, Lesbophobia
Moderate: Racism, Outing, Toxic friendship
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol
The d-slur is also used, or**nt*l and an outdated offensive term for Black people was used
If you are thinking to yourself and you’re queer “oh duh homophobia it’s a queer book set in the 50’s” please please consider what that actually means; the homophobia is really intense and can trigger trauma, please if you’re queer really prepare yourself for that
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I was very excited by the premise of this book. As a seventeen year old Asian-American lesbian with an interest in leftist ideology, I could not wait to pick up this book. I guess my expectations were too high though—the premise is just so excellent—because I ended up feeling mildly disappointed by this book. I think it’s a great read, I would’ve appreciated it so much when I was thirteen. I was just expecting to feel a little more...challenged while reading this, which is a bit too much to of a burden to place on a YA novel now that I think about it. Maybe I’ve just outgrown this genre.
I’d like to talk about the writing style. It’s not...my favorite. In fact, it reminds me a lot of Rainbow Rowell whose work I do not tend to enjoy all that much either. Like I said, I’m probably just outgrowing this genre. The use of parentheticals throughout this book was very...clunky, if that’s the word for it. It took me out of the scene quite a bit and only really seemed to work in the chapter whereLily daydreams about her encounter with Tommy Andrews at school . It’s unfortunate because I think the phrases wouldn’t have been so jarring if they’d just been seamlessly inserted into the overall narrative.
Kath, the love interest, fell somewhat flat to me. Maybe that was the intention, to follow Lily through her journey as a Chinese baby queer without centering Kath too much in the journey. But the fact that Kath was given so little attention or, frankly, backstory and motivation made the progression of Kath and Lily’s relationship feel a little abrupt.
Lily Hu was somewhat generic, if I’m being quite honest. She’s introverted and has a deep passion for space—which is great! I know quite a few people like her and I’m sure they would relate to her a lot. I just personally felt that there was very little differentiating her from other YA protagonists. Like if you took away the fact that she was Chinese-American, she could be anyone.
Speaking of, I wish there’d been more examination of the intersection of identity in here. Lily is Chinese, which others her in the pointedly not-Chinese queer community she encounters. She’s also a lesbian, which makes her not-quite-Chinese to her family and the culture she grew up in. I thought there was a lot that could’ve been explored there, specifically about family. I love stories that deal with family, especially Asian families. And all of it could’ve been topped with exploration of the Asian-American desire for assimilation in order to not be deported or viewed as enemies of the state—as well as a closer examination of communism in the US, how that tied in with queer spaces in the 1950s, and how Lily would’ve been affected by it all as a Chinese-American lesbian. This is probably just my wishful thinking; after all, my interest in leftism and LGBT+ history and in my own heritage as an Asian-American is what initially drew me to this book.
Lastly, I want to talk about Shirley. Oddly enough, I found Shirley intensely relatable. The assuredness to her gait as she waltzes through life, the way she covets her friends closely and jealously, the vague insecurity about her social status and her identity as an Asian-American, the sharp vulnerability of her character—like an open wound. Maybe it’s because of my unexpected attachment to her, but I felt she was dealt a pretty shitty hand in this book. I was rooting for her to be queer herself—to explain her animosity toward Kath (internalized homophobia!)—or perhaps a Communist—after all, she does fall for a suspected Communist) —or both! She turned out to be a typical catty sort of antagonist with raging homophobia, but I just thought there was so much potential.
Anyways, yeah, that’s my little review. There’s a lot more I’d like to say, but this seems pretty sufficient.
I’d like to talk about the writing style. It’s not...my favorite. In fact, it reminds me a lot of Rainbow Rowell whose work I do not tend to enjoy all that much either. Like I said, I’m probably just outgrowing this genre. The use of parentheticals throughout this book was very...clunky, if that’s the word for it. It took me out of the scene quite a bit and only really seemed to work in the chapter where
Kath, the love interest, fell somewhat flat to me. Maybe that was the intention, to follow Lily through her journey as a Chinese baby queer without centering Kath too much in the journey. But the fact that Kath was given so little attention or, frankly, backstory and motivation made the progression of Kath and Lily’s relationship feel a little abrupt.
Lily Hu was somewhat generic, if I’m being quite honest. She’s introverted and has a deep passion for space—which is great! I know quite a few people like her and I’m sure they would relate to her a lot. I just personally felt that there was very little differentiating her from other YA protagonists. Like if you took away the fact that she was Chinese-American, she could be anyone.
Speaking of, I wish there’d been more examination of the intersection of identity in here. Lily is Chinese, which others her in the pointedly not-Chinese queer community she encounters. She’s also a lesbian, which makes her not-quite-Chinese to her family and the culture she grew up in. I thought there was a lot that could’ve been explored there, specifically about family. I love stories that deal with family, especially Asian families. And all of it could’ve been topped with exploration of the Asian-American desire for assimilation in order to not be deported or viewed as enemies of the state—as well as a closer examination of communism in the US, how that tied in with queer spaces in the 1950s, and how Lily would’ve been affected by it all as a Chinese-American lesbian. This is probably just my wishful thinking; after all, my interest in leftism and LGBT+ history and in my own heritage as an Asian-American is what initially drew me to this book.
Lastly, I want to talk about Shirley. Oddly enough, I found Shirley intensely relatable. The assuredness to her gait as she waltzes through life, the way she covets her friends closely and jealously, the vague insecurity about her social status and her identity as an Asian-American, the sharp vulnerability of her character—like an open wound. Maybe it’s because of my unexpected attachment to her, but I felt she was dealt a pretty shitty hand in this book. I was rooting for her to be queer herself—to explain her animosity toward Kath (internalized homophobia!)—or perhaps a Communist
Anyways, yeah, that’s my little review. There’s a lot more I’d like to say, but this seems pretty sufficient.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Xenophobia
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Forced institutionalization
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content
Minor: Drug use