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A review by blahlicia
Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
4.5
Excellent lgbtqia historical fiction. I learned a lot about Chinese American history and lgbtqia history while reading this book.
Lily is a lovely sympathetic character, a teenager who is unsure of herself but doing her best. She’s also the daughter of an immigrant and an American born Chinese person living in a time where anti-Asian sentiments and fears of communism are coloring everything. And oh yeah - she doesn’t quite get it yet…but she knows she doesn’t feel the same way about boys that her friends do.
Throughout the story we watch Lily figure herself out in more than one way. She falls in love. She disobeys her parents. She learns to stay true to herself.
The only thing I would’ve liked is if the ending was a little more fleshed out. It felt like as soon as Lily figured out her feelings, it all went to hell. Then we skipped a year we got a little blip about Kath and then it was done. I would’ve liked to know what happened to Kath when they lost touch (trying to avoid spoilers), I would’ve liked to see a little glimpse of her life with Aunt Judy. Or like just the dinner she and Kath had?!
But I will read the accompanying story and check on them there.
Lily is a lovely sympathetic character, a teenager who is unsure of herself but doing her best. She’s also the daughter of an immigrant and an American born Chinese person living in a time where anti-Asian sentiments and fears of communism are coloring everything. And oh yeah - she doesn’t quite get it yet…but she knows she doesn’t feel the same way about boys that her friends do.
Throughout the story we watch Lily figure herself out in more than one way. She falls in love. She disobeys her parents. She learns to stay true to herself.
The only thing I would’ve liked is if the ending was a little more fleshed out. It felt like as soon as Lily figured out her feelings, it all went to hell. Then we skipped a year we got a little blip about Kath and then it was done. I would’ve liked to know what happened to Kath when they lost touch (trying to avoid spoilers), I would’ve liked to see a little glimpse of her life with Aunt Judy. Or like just the dinner she and Kath had?!
But I will read the accompanying story and check on them there.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Racism