Last Night at the Telegraph Club
- Downloads：2363
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-01-07 07:19:55
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Malinda Lo
- ISBN：0525555277
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Winner of the National Book Award
Proof of Malinda Lo's skill at creating darkly romantic tales of love in the face of danger。--O: The Oprah Magazine
The queer romance we've been waiting for。"--Ms。 Magazine
Restrained yet luscious。--Sarah Waters， bestselling author of Tipping the Velvet
A National Bestseller
Seventeen-year-old Lily Hu can't remember exactly when the feeling took root--that desire to look， to move closer， to touch。 Whenever it started growing， it definitely bloomed the moment she and Kathleen Miller walked under the flashing neon sign of a lesbian bar called the Telegraph Club。 Suddenly everything seemed possible。
But America in 1954 is not a safe place for two girls to fall in love， especially not in Chinatown。 Red-Scare paranoia threatens everyone， including Chinese Americans like Lily。 With deportation looming over her father--despite his hard-won citizenship--Lily and Kath risk everything to let their love see the light of day。
Proof of Malinda Lo's skill at creating darkly romantic tales of love in the face of danger。--O: The Oprah Magazine
The queer romance we've been waiting for。"--Ms。 Magazine
Restrained yet luscious。--Sarah Waters， bestselling author of Tipping the Velvet
A National Bestseller
Seventeen-year-old Lily Hu can't remember exactly when the feeling took root--that desire to look， to move closer， to touch。 Whenever it started growing， it definitely bloomed the moment she and Kathleen Miller walked under the flashing neon sign of a lesbian bar called the Telegraph Club。 Suddenly everything seemed possible。
But America in 1954 is not a safe place for two girls to fall in love， especially not in Chinatown。 Red-Scare paranoia threatens everyone， including Chinese Americans like Lily。 With deportation looming over her father--despite his hard-won citizenship--Lily and Kath risk everything to let their love see the light of day。
Reviews
Meg Yeager
，
This one hurt。 The feelings of first love tied in with finding oneself， the overt racism， the feeling of being different for more than one reason。 Malinda Lo managed to tell this story of love and lesbians so well。 She didn't avoid the pain of the past， she worked within its confines and showed love in dark places。 The description of Chinese-American culture at that time in history was so vivid and brought this book to life。 5/5 This one hurt。 The feelings of first love tied in with finding oneself， the overt racism， the feeling of being different for more than one reason。 Malinda Lo managed to tell this story of love and lesbians so well。 She didn't avoid the pain of the past， she worked within its confines and showed love in dark places。 The description of Chinese-American culture at that time in history was so vivid and brought this book to life。 5/5 。。。more
naomi wright
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Homophobic parents rlly be something else。 Review to come。
grandeur
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 a beautiful solid book。lily was an awfully relatable character。i did feel that it sometimes dragged on and gave unnecessary povs that added nothing to the plot。 i started to only get engrossed by the second half of the book
Cassie
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3。5 starsI’d tried Ash a few years back and found it quite cliche and mediocre， and I liked this one much more。 It was a pretty quick read and I liked how immersive the Chinatown San Fran world felt。 My main issue lies with Lo’s writing， which I find bland for large chunks， and that the first half of the book moves slowly。 I also didn’t really see the value of flashbacks from other family members。
Zana
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 SHIRLEY IS A BITCH
Moa
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I really liked this book。
em 🦋
，
i loved this book。 it encapsulates the feeling of young queer love brilliantly。 the writing is so delicate and beautiful and i loved the flashbacks as it just went to show how much there was to “lose”。 i didn’t find it as sad as anticipated but still a fantastic read to start off my year。
Siobhan
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3。5 stars > this was a really beautiful love story about finding yourself and your role in your community as a really interesting inflection point in history。 I wanted more of the fascinating historical context and more from the side characters， who were given their own first person narratives that were too short。 Overall really enjoyed it！
Jordan
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4/5 8，5/10
sofia
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heartbreaking and heartwarming at once。 bittersweet ending but leaves the reader to create the sort of ending we wish for lily。 i learned a lot about myself through this book， though fictional it had teaching moments and plots that felt close to my heart。 i feel for lily and i will continue to root for her and kath。
Thien-An
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I don’t often read YA books but this one did historical fiction + romance + coming of age all in one so well。 also if you love sf， and specifically sf Chinatown - this one is for you
abby
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i really really really wanted to love this book…but everything just felt so irrelevant to the plot？ like the plot was very obviously there but it took us forever to get to it and yeah it was sad but it wasn’t sad for long enough for me to care？ idk， i love me a sapphic book anyday of the week， but this one just didn’t do it for me :（
Makayla
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Wow。 This was a fabulous complex look at what it might be to be a young， Chinese-American， queer living in San Francisco in the 1950's。 There's a lot of intersectionality going on in a time when it's not only illegal to be gay， but it's also at the height of the red scare in America， and this book takes a look at all the good， and the romance， and the scandal， and the bad and wrapped it up in a YA novel that I couldn't put down。 Can't recommend enough Wow。 This was a fabulous complex look at what it might be to be a young， Chinese-American， queer living in San Francisco in the 1950's。 There's a lot of intersectionality going on in a time when it's not only illegal to be gay， but it's also at the height of the red scare in America， and this book takes a look at all the good， and the romance， and the scandal， and the bad and wrapped it up in a YA novel that I couldn't put down。 Can't recommend enough 。。。more
Rachel Brown
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I wish I could give this book 100 stars。 And that still wouldn't be enough。 I really don't have the words。 I sometimes say I don't like historical fiction because so much of it romanticizes historical periods that were terrible for most people， but sometimes I also love historical fiction。 When it's like this。 When it's so good it hurts。 Without the veneer of the "good old days。" I also loved that the main character wasn't the bravest， boldest， toughest girl around。 She was uncomfortable， scared I wish I could give this book 100 stars。 And that still wouldn't be enough。 I really don't have the words。 I sometimes say I don't like historical fiction because so much of it romanticizes historical periods that were terrible for most people， but sometimes I also love historical fiction。 When it's like this。 When it's so good it hurts。 Without the veneer of the "good old days。" I also loved that the main character wasn't the bravest， boldest， toughest girl around。 She was uncomfortable， scared， and so much easier to relate to。 I just wanted to see her have a happy ending。 I wanted her to be able to be everything she wanted。 I loved this book 。。。more
ava
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4。5/5 stars！ it was rlly good
Beth
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Obsessed with reading a fiction that is not only researched and considered carefully， but thoughtful in it's inclusivity of language and respect for culture/time/place。 It was a nice read， but I was not-so-secretly hoping for more action between Kath and Lily to keep it a bit juicy/keep me invested in their forbidden love。 A long build for their relationship to be unvailed and then not enough time spent exploring the relationship （which is probably an accurate representation for the era it was s Obsessed with reading a fiction that is not only researched and considered carefully， but thoughtful in it's inclusivity of language and respect for culture/time/place。 It was a nice read， but I was not-so-secretly hoping for more action between Kath and Lily to keep it a bit juicy/keep me invested in their forbidden love。 A long build for their relationship to be unvailed and then not enough time spent exploring the relationship （which is probably an accurate representation for the era it was set） but I wanted more。 。。。more
nancyslurringbs
，
Malinda Lo writes a heartbreaking yet uplifting story about queer identity outside of the white lenses we’ve come to view the LGBT+ community through。 Every time I put this book down to take a break， or do something besides fall in love with the pure joy that was main character Lily and love interest Kath’s organic connection， I was left with a sadness whose origin I cannot place。 The sadness however is not “sad。” The feeling of longing and unspoken truths sat at the bottom of my stomach。 I don’ Malinda Lo writes a heartbreaking yet uplifting story about queer identity outside of the white lenses we’ve come to view the LGBT+ community through。 Every time I put this book down to take a break， or do something besides fall in love with the pure joy that was main character Lily and love interest Kath’s organic connection， I was left with a sadness whose origin I cannot place。 The sadness however is not “sad。” The feeling of longing and unspoken truths sat at the bottom of my stomach。 I don’t think it’s a bad thing; this book stirred up emotions that allowed me to ask myself questions I still do this day and very moment， are uncomfortable with asking。 I think Malinda Lo writes with such elegance and with such an attention to detail that you can’t help but to view the world a little different each time you flip the pages。 。。。more
Kyran
，
Just got this today， I’m so excited to read it！ （it might be a while before I get round to it considering how long my tbr list is）。
Cristina
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This book was LGBTQ-librarian recommended and it delivered。 It's not anything thrilling or nail biting， but more of a quiet story of a quiet Chinese American 17-year-old sorting herself out。 The setting， San Francisco and specifically Chinatown in the 1950s， is very cool to read about， and there's some contextual history that I appreciated （we invited Chinese people to the US， then kicked them out， then they couldn't go back to China， etc。） And Lily is a smart kid with a bright future， which is This book was LGBTQ-librarian recommended and it delivered。 It's not anything thrilling or nail biting， but more of a quiet story of a quiet Chinese American 17-year-old sorting herself out。 The setting， San Francisco and specifically Chinatown in the 1950s， is very cool to read about， and there's some contextual history that I appreciated （we invited Chinese people to the US， then kicked them out， then they couldn't go back to China， etc。） And Lily is a smart kid with a bright future， which is my spoiler that things turn out ok。 Her family is not idealized and they freak out when they find out she went to the Telegraph Club of her own volition （gasp！） to hear a male impersonator sing to the ladies。 It's sweet and there's young love， and catty friendships， and confusion。 Highly recommend。 。。。more
esmée
，
i mean oh my freaking god。 holy shit。 malinda lo i wanna kiss you and kind of punch you at the same time。 this book made my heart jump up and down and nearly kill itself too。 it was so beautifully written。 the love story was so amazing。 i mean， when will it be my turn to have romance like this？？ with the way they felt about each other ughh。 im， just wow。 and wow is an acronym for wow oh wow。 because wow。 i am so amazed by it。 i am definitely in love with this book
Mary Newkirk
，
4 and a half stars！ trigger warning for kids with homophobic asian parents （my therapist will hear about this one） but what a wonderful book！ the characters were wonderful and you could tell that a lot of research went into this book。
Maisie Iven
，
This is such a wonderfully written book—it’s so clear how much careful research Lo has done and the passion she brings to the story。 It deserves every award it has won， it deserves far more than that too。 A remarkable work of historical fiction。 Also plays in to everyone’s favorite stereotype—lesbians are naturally good at math。 Highly recommended， easy to get so swept up in the 1950’s San Francisco that Lo paints。
Jasmin Kaur
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I loved every second of this。 A beautiful story that captures the life of a Chinese-American girl coming to terms with her sexuality。 Whilst most sapphic focuses solely on the lives of white teenagers， Lo shines a light on the QPOC experience。
Christine
，
For historical fiction lovers， although Last Night at the Telegraph Club is a YA novel， adults will also enjoy this slower-paced and well-fleshed-out read。Learn more about the Red Scare in the 1950s in San Francisco's Chinatown， and watch as Lily finds her community。This is a strong LGBTQ+ book for teens， and we have always enjoyed Malindo Lo's novels。Read the full review on The Uncorked Librarian here:https://www。theuncorkedlibrarian。com/。。。 For historical fiction lovers， although Last Night at the Telegraph Club is a YA novel， adults will also enjoy this slower-paced and well-fleshed-out read。Learn more about the Red Scare in the 1950s in San Francisco's Chinatown， and watch as Lily finds her community。This is a strong LGBTQ+ book for teens， and we have always enjoyed Malindo Lo's novels。Read the full review on The Uncorked Librarian here:https://www。theuncorkedlibrarian。com/。。。 。。。more
jemima
，
continued reading last night and then just couldn’t stopactually made me a bit teary， because of the way i connect with these characters and the ending， though not particularly destroying still made me emotionali love both characters i love the plot i even love the cover！！！although there were a few plot lines from the background that didn’t get resolved？ unless i missed it， as they weren’t as important to me， compared to the main plot line
Khamis Peoples
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I loved every single step of the journey I took with Lily。 Her discovery of herself rings familiar in my personal journey of discovery。 Such a good book to ring in the New Year。
Fornia
，
this was a Stunningly Effective book， esp in terms of how it shows rather than tells the unique challenges of intersectional identities， and honestly when i came out of it i felt like i'd just woken up from a dream， which is def a compliment to Lo managing to get me through 1000 [ebook] pages in less than five hours without me even noticing the pages going byi think it just felt so reallike i was making bread with my mom and we needed to knead it but i was in the middle of an Emotional Asian Fam this was a Stunningly Effective book， esp in terms of how it shows rather than tells the unique challenges of intersectional identities， and honestly when i came out of it i felt like i'd just woken up from a dream， which is def a compliment to Lo managing to get me through 1000 [ebook] pages in less than five hours without me even noticing the pages going byi think it just felt so reallike i was making bread with my mom and we needed to knead it but i was in the middle of an Emotional Asian Family Scene and i fully just made her wait an extra twenty minutes because i could not look away from the pagei think the ending [and the general last third or so of the book] are really unsatisfying in a really satisfying way， if that makes sense？ like you expect/want a clean happy clear-cut ending， because that's what you're used to in books， but real life isn't like that and Lo doesn't end it like that。 it feels unfinished in a finished way， you know？ the loose ends aren't all perfectly tied up with a lil bow on top， you don't get the resolutions you expect/want between all the relevant characters， but it feels like a good place to end nonetheless。 maybe you don't get to see a Happy Ending but you feel like you can trust that it'll all turn out okay 。。。more
Kim
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This novel is a 2021 winner of the National Book Award。 It’s well researched and written。 The fact that it was given a wide range of good reviews is heartening if it means people are becoming more accepting or tolerant of people who do not look like nor love like the majority。 A NPR Best Book of 2021A Boston Globe Best Book of 2021A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2021A BookPage Best Book of 2021A SLJ Best Book of 2021A Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2021A New York Public Library Best Book o This novel is a 2021 winner of the National Book Award。 It’s well researched and written。 The fact that it was given a wide range of good reviews is heartening if it means people are becoming more accepting or tolerant of people who do not look like nor love like the majority。 A NPR Best Book of 2021A Boston Globe Best Book of 2021A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2021A BookPage Best Book of 2021A SLJ Best Book of 2021A Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2021A New York Public Library Best Book of 2021A 2021 Goodreads Choice FinalistA 2021 Horn Book Fanfare SelectionA 2021 Book Riot Best Book 。。。more
Siena
，
I am so impressed by this book， especially that it’s geared towards young adults and sheds light on important moments in history。 A coming-of-age story of a chinese-american girl living in San Francisco in the ‘50’s discovering her sexuality。 This book not only covers her personal story， but also gives different multi-generational POV’s。 I was so engrossed in the story and it was very difficult to put it down！ Highly recommend。 Also bonus points this gave me such Barbary Lane vibes😍
Claire
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