Scan barcode
A review by vellicrow
Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
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
5.0
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 and Alcohol
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
Minor: War