17.3k reviews for:

Last Night at the Telegraph Club

Malinda Lo

4.27 AVERAGE

emmy_ann's review

5.0

emotional medium-paced

hickorynut's review

4.25

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: Yes

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Lily is Chinese-American, living in San Francisco in the 1940s and 50s. As a teenager, she realizes she is not interested in the same things as the girls she grew up with, and begins to feel isolated from them. She discovers a budding interest in women and the underground queer community, while also struggling with her identity as a "good Chinese girl" who must uphold her family values and ensure her country regards her and her community in a positive manner. This follows Lily's last years as a teenager and her exploration into her sexuality and personal identity separate from her ethnicity and family. It is beautifully emotive and touches on the many layers of struggle for queer Asians not accepted by their traditional families.

olivia55's review

4.0

emotional 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

ojip's review

5.0

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genuinely tweaking because my butchfemme ship is gay in the 1950s

inej_chase's review

5.0

emotional hopeful

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Loveable characters: Yes

viksquires's review

5.0

emotional 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

bettisbooks's review

5.0

emotional hopeful informative inspiring relaxing sad

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Sexism, Xenophobia

Minor: War

addstar's review against another edition

5.0

emotional hopeful 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

finnctionary's review

4.0

adventurous emotional informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes