Reviews with content warning for Sexism - Last Night at the Telegraph Club

Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

158 reviews

robinks's review against another edition

4.5

challenging 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

I appreciated Lo’s commitment to keeping things era-appropriate, though it did lead to some very uncomfortable scenes for our queer Asian protagonist. The historical context was also helpful.

Content Warnings

lgrega's review

5.0

emotional hopeful informative 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: No

Content Warnings

iwasaunicorn's review

4.0

emotional hopeful 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

Content Warnings

tsumtsum's review against another edition

3.0

emotional hopeful informative 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: Complicated

got fun around the 70% mark. lily shouldve snitched on shirley, shes such a cunt.

Content Warnings

smasline's review

3.75

adventurous emotional hopeful 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: Yes

This book was generally a fantastic read, but ends very abruptly! I would have preferred if the author leaned into the messiness after the climax. Overall a really sweet glimpse into queer awakening and first love!

Content Warnings

dippyfresh's review

5.0

emotional hopeful informative inspiring 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

Content Warnings

yourbookishbff's review against another edition

5.0

challenging emotional informative 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: No

What a necessary read. This is a tense coming-of-age story of a young, Chinese-American lesbian in the 1950s that maintains an unerring focus on the intersections of her experiences of both racism and homophobia. When she finds safety and affirmation as a young queer woman at The Telegraph Club, she is still consistently othered in ways that feel violently hypersexualized, and when she finds comfort and security among her friends and family in Chinatown, she is still living a split, mostly closeted life. And despite the constant tension she feels, there is so much queer joy to be found in her relationship with Kath. The ways they are each discovering themselves and each other are so profoundly earnest and pure, and I was rooting for them all the way through.

This is a particularly salient read for us now - in 2025 - when, once again, citizenship and permanent residency is used to blackmail racialized people, political dissenters and all of those deemed enemies of the state (or frankly, just enemies of the status quo). The very real fears of Lily's parents during this time are horrifyingly familiar to us today, and it's a reminder of how circular white American political violence truly is.

The author's note is fascinating and explores all the real-world inspirations for these characters, the Telegraph Club and these specific conflicts. Also - the audiobook - narrated by Emily Woo Zeller, an all-time fave - was perfect, and I highly recommend it in this format!

Content Warnings