Reviews tagging 'Forced institutionalization'

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

50 reviews

hannibanani29's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring 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? It's complicated

4.5

---

Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Alcohol, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, War, and Xenophobia

Minor: Cultural appropriation, Drug use, Adult/minor relationship, Forced institutionalization, Hate crime, and Miscarriage

andromeda_1998's review

challenging emotional reflective 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? Yes

5.0

Last night at the telegraph club took me by surprise. For school I had to read an historical fiction and as the raging queer that I am I chose this book to read. I wanted to read something that would mean more to me than just that one book I read for school and well…. The telegraph succeeded in that. Normally I’m not a big fan of this kind of book is just amazing. 

Characters 
The list of characters is really diverse and I loved it. I cannot speak for the Asian rep but I loved the sapphic love. I could really find myself in the panic that surrounds a baby gay and I wish with whole my heart that Lily’s story would have been easier. I felt a lot for her and she deserved better. 

Worldbuilding 
The worldbuilding is done in a very fun way. The story is played oud in the real world and it shows. If you google the locations you are able to find them and I love this! 

Story 
This is one of those books that is very important but before you read this please check the triggerwarnings! 

Writing 
The writing was beautifully done and gripped me. I had to finish this book! 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Confinement, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Dysphoria, Transphobia, Sexual content, Racial slurs, Outing, Lesbophobia, and Homophobia

Minor: Gaslighting, Miscarriage, Police brutality, Adult/minor relationship, and Forced institutionalization

erinwolf1997's review

adventurous 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? It's complicated

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Lesbophobia, Homophobia, and Racism

Moderate: Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Xenophobia, War, Medical content, Sexism, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Outing, and Police brutality

Minor: Forced institutionalization

vthecreature's review

emotional hopeful informative inspiring 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? It's complicated

4.5

This was incredible. It was emotionally honest and sometimes cathartic, like when Lily noticed men fetishizing young girls and lesbians and thought “you’re pathetic and know nothing”. LOVED IT. This book went into some of the issues that Lily faced including racism, homophobia, fetishization, sexism, societal/ family expectations, etc. She’s so strong and I’m so proud of her. I haven’t rooted for a character’s happiness this much in a long time. Throughout the book, despite everything she goes through, Lily gets to know and accept herself. She does experience shame but always talks herself out of it! I loved when she said, in no uncertain terms, that she’s not mistaken and she hasn’t done anything wrong, despite everyone around her telling her otherwise. The characters all felt so real, and some of them ahem Shirley reminded me of people I’ve known irl.

I was so satisfied when she lost the pageant. that’s what homophobes get!!!!!!!

The setting was immersive and played a big role in characterization as well, with Lily and Shirley each having their own relationships to Chinatown, mostly to do with economic status. There’s contemporary political issues discussed, but some of it is left uncertain by the end.

What happened to Lily’s father? Did he get his papers back? And what about the suspected Communists?

 
Overall this was fantastic. 
Is there a happy ending?

… Yes? Lily’s relationship with her family is damaged but we see at the end that it wasn’t irreparable. She also reunites with Kath and they both tell each other they love each other. Both girls also embark on their own chosen career paths.

 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Outing, Lesbophobia, Racism, Xenophobia, Toxic friendship, Racial slurs, and Homophobia

Moderate: Sexual content, War, Alcohol, and Misogyny

Minor: Drug use, Forced institutionalization, and Miscarriage

corriejn's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, Lesbophobia, and Alcohol

Moderate: Sexual content, Misogyny, Xenophobia, and Sexism

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Outing, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, War, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, Classism, and Miscarriage

cocacolor's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

(1) Too large a percentage of the words in the body of the novel were San Francisco street names (2) I don't feel as if Kath, the love interest, is a fully developed character (3) I think there were several loose ends that didn't tie up neatly.

Everything else was amazing.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Lesbophobia, Alcohol, Homophobia, and Outing

Moderate: Sexual harassment and Miscarriage

Minor: War, Police brutality, and Forced institutionalization

surefinewhatever_'s review against another edition

emotional hopeful 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? N/A

3.0

A slow burn that offered the payoff I deeply wanted by the end, but without being neatly tied up with a bow. I grew to really love and care for Lily & Kath, and even Lana, Aunt Judy, & Lily’s brothers. I felt like the tension that slowly grew with each visit to the Telegraph Club was nearly impossible handle by the time we finally reached the inciting incident, as I had expected it sooner and felt myself just waiting for last straw. We knew SOMETHING had to give, but didn’t know what or when. This book teetered on too slow for me, and I found myself less engaged & interested in the outside narratives (beyond Aunt Judy’s) but I understand that their purpose, along with the timelines, were there to give us more context of the time, the very specific struggles, and lily’s family. Nonetheless, I absolutely cried during the final chapters.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Alcohol, and Lesbophobia

Moderate: Miscarriage

Minor: Forced institutionalization

stellar_hunt's review

challenging emotional informative reflective 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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Alcohol, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Miscarriage, Forced institutionalization, Toxic friendship, Racial slurs, and Physical abuse

sarah984's review

emotional hopeful informative medium-paced

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

4.0

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.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcohol, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Outing, Police brutality, Racism, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, and Xenophobia

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Miscarriage, and Violence

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.

booksonadventures's review

emotional reflective 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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Racial slurs, Xenophobia, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Bullying, Racism, Alcohol, Outing, Miscarriage, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Forced institutionalization and Sexism