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Reviews tagging 'Forced institutionalization'
Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
50 reviews
scorpioness's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
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.
Graphic: Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Outing, Racism, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Cultural appropriation, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Alcohol, Forced institutionalization, and Miscarriage
The d-slur is also used, or**nt*l and an outdated offensive term for Black people was used If you are thinking to yourself and you’re queer “oh duh homophobia it’s a queer book set in the 50’s” please please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 thathannahmayhere's review
- 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
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Religious bigotry, Biphobia, Hate crime, Homophobia, Sexism, and Transphobia
Moderate: Miscarriage
Minor: Drug use, Sexual content, and Forced institutionalization
bookcrushin's review
- 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
Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, Sexism, and Xenophobia
Minor: Forced institutionalization, Racial slurs, and Police brutality
soupstix's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
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.
Graphic: Homophobia and Xenophobia
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Forced institutionalization
cupidities's review
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, and Xenophobia
Minor: Forced institutionalization, Miscarriage, and Police brutality
daydreamermoonwalker's review
- 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
Graphic: Homophobia, Miscarriage, and Racism
Minor: Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Hate crime, and Gore
betweentheshelves's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Homophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Miscarriage and Police brutality
Minor: Forced institutionalization
kayleyhyde's review
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Homophobia and Racism
Moderate: Racial slurs, Xenophobia, and Sexism
Minor: Forced institutionalization
icannotweave's review
- 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
Graphic: Homophobia, Xenophobia, Racism, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Police brutality, Sexual content, and Hate crime
Minor: Forced institutionalization
herk's review
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Homophobia and Racism
Moderate: Sexual content, Sexism, Miscarriage, and Misogyny
Minor: Forced institutionalization