Last Night at the Telegraph Club
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- Create Date：2021-04-02 08:52:53
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Malinda Lo
- ISBN：1529366585
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Acclaimed author of Ash Malinda Lo returns with her most personal and ambitious novel yet， a gripping story of love and duty set in San Francisco's Chinatown during the Red Scare。
“That book。 It was about two women， and they fell in love with each other。” And then Lily asked the question that had taken root in her， that was even now unfurling its leaves and demanding to be shown the sun: “Have you ever heard of such a thing？”
Seventeen-year-old Lily Hu can’t remember exactly when the question took root， but the answer was in full bloom the moment she and Kathleen Miller walked under the flashing neon sign of a lesbian bar called the Telegraph Club。
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。
"Lo's writing， restrained yet luscious， shimmers with the thrills of youthful desire。 A lovely， memorable novel about listening to the whispers of a wayward heart and claiming a place in the world。"—Sarah Waters， bestselling and award winning author of Tipping the Velvet and The Night Watch
“That book。 It was about two women， and they fell in love with each other。” And then Lily asked the question that had taken root in her， that was even now unfurling its leaves and demanding to be shown the sun: “Have you ever heard of such a thing？”
Seventeen-year-old Lily Hu can’t remember exactly when the question took root， but the answer was in full bloom the moment she and Kathleen Miller walked under the flashing neon sign of a lesbian bar called the Telegraph Club。
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。
"Lo's writing， restrained yet luscious， shimmers with the thrills of youthful desire。 A lovely， memorable novel about listening to the whispers of a wayward heart and claiming a place in the world。"—Sarah Waters， bestselling and award winning author of Tipping the Velvet and The Night Watch
Reviews
Kate Whitfield
，
A little laboured at the start but picked up a lot。 Worth sticking with。
Alex
，
I thought this was overall a good book。 The romance was cute， and the Telegraph Club felt really magical。 It managed to be heartwarming without being unrealistic in its portrayal of what it was like to be a young lesbian in the 1950s。The main issue I had with this book is it felt like there were too many unnecessary chapters。 I’m sure there were reasons the author included 40+ chapters， but it didn’t work for me。 The chapters were all fairly short which meant each event that happened in a chapte I thought this was overall a good book。 The romance was cute， and the Telegraph Club felt really magical。 It managed to be heartwarming without being unrealistic in its portrayal of what it was like to be a young lesbian in the 1950s。The main issue I had with this book is it felt like there were too many unnecessary chapters。 I’m sure there were reasons the author included 40+ chapters， but it didn’t work for me。 The chapters were all fairly short which meant each event that happened in a chapter wasn’t explored super deeply and the sheer number of them meant a lot of them dealt with topics I wasn’t necessarily as interested in， like Lily’s friendship with Shirley。 I can understand why the chapters were included but I didn’t really enjoy those chapters as much given how Shirley was clearly an awful friend。 I think there was a lot that really could have been cut out or if the book was going to be nearly 400 pages then there could have been a more substantial plot。Overall though this is a really cute book and I enjoyed it。 It feels like looking into a piece of lesbian history to read about a lesbian bar。 It didn’t feel overly juvenile to me despite being YA （but the characters still acted their age）。 Would definitely recommend。 。。。more
Enne
，
3 starsI was really looking forward to reading this one because I have been meaning to read something by Malinda Lo for ages。 I’m really glad I picked this one up！！While I didn’t really mesh with Malinda Lo’s writing style， I really enjoyed the story。 I thought it was incredibly atmospheric and the atmosphere came across really well in the writing。 I really liked the main character and I thought her self-discovery journey was written really well and handled with a lot of nuance。 I wasn’t as inve 3 starsI was really looking forward to reading this one because I have been meaning to read something by Malinda Lo for ages。 I’m really glad I picked this one up！！While I didn’t really mesh with Malinda Lo’s writing style， I really enjoyed the story。 I thought it was incredibly atmospheric and the atmosphere came across really well in the writing。 I really liked the main character and I thought her self-discovery journey was written really well and handled with a lot of nuance。 I wasn’t as invested in the romance， but it didn’t feel like it was meant to be the central element of the story， anyway， so I didn’t mind it too much。 I really enjoyed the exploration of family dynamics！！ It was really interesting to see how Lily interacted with different members of her family and how much thought she put into it。 I also really enjoyed seeing how those dynamics developed。 When it comes to the friendships， I wanted a little more exploration of the friendship between Lily and Shirley， but I get that there wasn’t really enough time for that， given everything else that was going on in the book。 I thought the setting and the plot were both really well done！！ I feel like I learned a lot about the dynamics in 1950s San Francisco and I’m now v interested in picking up nonfiction about it because I’m very intrigued by a lot of the elements that were included in this book。 I also thought the plot functioned really well as a reflection of the historical setting and I really enjoyed how Lo let the two play off each other。 Overall， I think this was a really well-written book and one that’s definitely easy to lose yourself in！！ For the most part， it was a very enjoyable experience for me and I would definitely recommend it to others！！trigger warnings: period typical lesbophobia， homophobia， racism （all mostly unchallenged in text）; references to miscarriagerep: Chinese-American lesbian MC， lesbian LI， Chinese & Chinese-American SCs， sapphic SCs 。。。more
caitlin
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i have no idea how to rate that book。 on one hand， it was a cute book， and i liked it。 on the other hand， i didn't find that the plot was extraordinary？ dont get me wrong it was good， but some parts were。。。 i guess you could say kinda boring？ like when lily has to deal with this miss chinatown thing？ and yeah there was nothing extraordinary about the plot， it was a historical fiction about a lesbian chinese-american girl in the 1950s in san francisco。 and it was good， i liked it but i didn't get i have no idea how to rate that book。 on one hand， it was a cute book， and i liked it。 on the other hand， i didn't find that the plot was extraordinary？ dont get me wrong it was good， but some parts were。。。 i guess you could say kinda boring？ like when lily has to deal with this miss chinatown thing？ and yeah there was nothing extraordinary about the plot， it was a historical fiction about a lesbian chinese-american girl in the 1950s in san francisco。 and it was good， i liked it but i didn't get this /feeling/ you know？ i guess it's a 3。5 stars read？ 。。。more
Fiona
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I actually dnf-ed this book :（ I really wanted to like it， but for me， it felt like there were too many things happening at once。 I think I’ll revisit it later on。
Scott Neigh
，
YA historical fiction。 I don't read much historical fiction， but I've been a fan of this author since her first novel， the Cinderella retelling *Ash*， and I've followed her as she has worked her way across a range of genres。 This book traces the story of a teen Chinese-American girl in 1950s San Francisco as she comes to terms with the fact that she likes girls。 I'm no expert on that place or era， but it certainly seems to be a sensitive and nuanced portrayal of both， including its specific mode YA historical fiction。 I don't read much historical fiction， but I've been a fan of this author since her first novel， the Cinderella retelling *Ash*， and I've followed her as she has worked her way across a range of genres。 This book traces the story of a teen Chinese-American girl in 1950s San Francisco as she comes to terms with the fact that she likes girls。 I'm no expert on that place or era， but it certainly seems to be a sensitive and nuanced portrayal of both， including its specific mode of ubiquitous anti-Chinese racism and the community's ways of surviving and thriving in the face of it， and at lest some of the ways the rampant anti-Communism in the US intersected with both racism and anti-queerness。 What I appreciated most， though， was the author's deft touch with the main character's journey and with her feelings along the way。 It didn't downplay the heavy weight of oppression facing a Chinese-American lesbian in the era of June and Ward Cleaver， Joseph McCarthy， and Jim Crow， but neither did it allow all of that to push the narrative into the violence， surrender， and despair that was until quite recently the only admissible ending for such a story。 At the risk of straying in a vague way into spoilers， you spend a good chunk of the book waiting tensely for the other shoe to drop – the shoe of violence and harm and disastrous revelation， as per the dime-store pulp novels of that era， which Lo cleverly invokes through the main character finding and reading one （but being interrupted before reaching its inevitably horrible conclusion） as a small part of her journey to a sense that， yes， perhaps there is a way to live this life after all。 Eventually， the other shoe does drop， and it is a hard， hard thing。 But it isn't awful in the flat-and-inevitable， tragedy-and-death， bury-your-gays way， but in a much more complex way， in a loss-and-grief but live-and-gain way， and there are a couple of scenes of quiet solidarity from people the main character hardly knows at all that I found among the most moving in the book。 Anyway， yes， I liked it。 And I think it shows Lo's growth as a writer – like I said， I've been a fan since her first novel， but any writing career has shifts and ups and downs， and I think this one demonstrates ongoing growth in polish and sophistication in her storytelling。 。。。more
Mallory
，
i spent the entire beginning of this book trying to figure out where i'd read the same concept before， and it turns out that i was thinking of Malinda Lo's gorgeous short story in All Out！！ literally didn't realize until the author's note lmao。 this book was so beautiful and heartwarming and relatable and i loved it so， so much。 the audiobook was gorgeous and i already can't wait to pick up a physical copy and reread it！ i spent the entire beginning of this book trying to figure out where i'd read the same concept before， and it turns out that i was thinking of Malinda Lo's gorgeous short story in All Out！！ literally didn't realize until the author's note lmao。 this book was so beautiful and heartwarming and relatable and i loved it so， so much。 the audiobook was gorgeous and i already can't wait to pick up a physical copy and reread it！ 。。。more
Alissa
，
I’m usually not a huge historical fiction person but I didn’t struggle with this book at all。 Other reviewers have mentioned it’s a slow read but I found that the setting of 1950’s Chinatown in San Francisco and the lesbian culture at the time to be fascinating and kept me riveted。 The author did a great job of balancing these two cultures and how a young Chinese American girl might feel divided by these parts of her identity。 The love story was really sweet and the ending touching， realistic， a I’m usually not a huge historical fiction person but I didn’t struggle with this book at all。 Other reviewers have mentioned it’s a slow read but I found that the setting of 1950’s Chinatown in San Francisco and the lesbian culture at the time to be fascinating and kept me riveted。 The author did a great job of balancing these two cultures and how a young Chinese American girl might feel divided by these parts of her identity。 The love story was really sweet and the ending touching， realistic， and poignant。 。。。more
Dana
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3。5;Things I liked: Queer representation， in-depth study into the Asian-American experience during Communism in the 50s， and a realistic yet heartbreaking ending。 Things I didn't like: 3/4 of the book， while detailed， felt really drawn out， to the point that the slow burn of Kath and Lily's relationship felt too overdue for true enjoyment。 Also didn't care for the insight into the past lives of Lily's family。 It didn't really feel needed at all for the main storyline and I would have rather got 3。5;Things I liked: Queer representation， in-depth study into the Asian-American experience during Communism in the 50s， and a realistic yet heartbreaking ending。 Things I didn't like: 3/4 of the book， while detailed， felt really drawn out， to the point that the slow burn of Kath and Lily's relationship felt too overdue for true enjoyment。 Also didn't care for the insight into the past lives of Lily's family。 It didn't really feel needed at all for the main storyline and I would have rather got chapters from Kath's perspectives， or even the other （older） queer women from the Telegraph Club。 PS: i hope Shirley ROTS 。。。more
Lauren
，
Holy shit I loved this book。 The way Malinda Lo was able to articulate queer feelings was astonishing to say the least。 This book felt timeless in an essential way。 5/5
Molly Harms
，
this is one of the best books i’ve read in a long time and if i could give it more than five stars i absolutely would。 the amount of lesbian representation in here （especially for the 1950s） is incredible。 the characters were real and developed， and my favorite aspect was that we got to see lesbians at different stages of their lives。 it was amazing reading a book that fleshed out its lesbian characters and didn’t make them one-dimensional。 （view spoiler）[kath and lily’s relationship was so real this is one of the best books i’ve read in a long time and if i could give it more than five stars i absolutely would。 the amount of lesbian representation in here （especially for the 1950s） is incredible。 the characters were real and developed， and my favorite aspect was that we got to see lesbians at different stages of their lives。 it was amazing reading a book that fleshed out its lesbian characters and didn’t make them one-dimensional。 （view spoiler）[kath and lily’s relationship was so real and emotional， and i was desperately wanting more， despite how great the ending was。 （hide spoiler）] this book made me laugh and cry and feel every emotion in between， and i can not recommend it enough。 。。。more
Brent
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Enjoyed the last quarter of the book more than the beginning。 Really loved the queer characters， Asian community， found family， and was interested in the historical setting。 I just could not get into the writing。
Kathrin
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A couple of years back I read the story this novel is based on and I'd been waiting for this book ever since。 It was well worth the wait！ A couple of years back I read the story this novel is based on and I'd been waiting for this book ever since。 It was well worth the wait！ 。。。more
Sarah
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（4。5 ⭐️） I NEED TO STOP READING SAD SAPPHIC BOOKS 😭
Cecille
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This was such a beautifully written book juxtaposing the vibrant bustle of SF Chinatown and the smoky allure of queer nightlife in the 1950's。 Lily， the main character， is a Chinese-American teenager struggling with a number of things-- being Chinese during the Red Scare， wanting to pursue a math-heavy career not common/accessible to women at the time， and questioning her sexual orientation。 The story was really well-paced and felt realistic and relatable。 It's really great to see positive queer This was such a beautifully written book juxtaposing the vibrant bustle of SF Chinatown and the smoky allure of queer nightlife in the 1950's。 Lily， the main character， is a Chinese-American teenager struggling with a number of things-- being Chinese during the Red Scare， wanting to pursue a math-heavy career not common/accessible to women at the time， and questioning her sexual orientation。 The story was really well-paced and felt realistic and relatable。 It's really great to see positive queer Asian representation， and really cool how the author researched the various aspects of the book to bring together a story not well-recorded in history-- being Asian and gay during the height of anti-communist actions。 。。。more
Ellie Coggins
，
I don't pick up YA often， and when I do， I tend to learn toward fantasy。 So Last Night at the Telegraph Club is not my usual genre， but I am so glad that I picked it up。 It reminded me of how powerful YA stories can be， and this Own Voices one was exactly that -- it is a deeply researched historical fiction about life in San Francisco as a young， queer， Chinese-American girl who is falling in love and discovering her sexuality for the first time。 This story made me feel all the feels and truly p I don't pick up YA often， and when I do， I tend to learn toward fantasy。 So Last Night at the Telegraph Club is not my usual genre， but I am so glad that I picked it up。 It reminded me of how powerful YA stories can be， and this Own Voices one was exactly that -- it is a deeply researched historical fiction about life in San Francisco as a young， queer， Chinese-American girl who is falling in love and discovering her sexuality for the first time。 This story made me feel all the feels and truly pulled at my heartstrings。 I felt for Lily， the main character， who like all young people is trying to figure out who she is， especially in the 50s where racism toward Chinese Americans runs rampant with the Red Scare and homosexuality is not just frowned upon， but actively discriminated against。 This story was sad in many ways， watching the blatant racism Lily， her friends， and family experience， even as citizens of the U。S。， and seeing how Lily and Kath have to hide their relationship because of the time period they live in， even if San Fran was at the time considered much more open than many parts of the country from LGBTQ+ folks。 But despite some of the more melancholy bits， it was also brought me a lot of joy watching Lily learn to accept herself， fall in love， and follow her dreams， even when the world is telling her she can't。 。。。more
Stephanie McMillan
，
Fantastic。 I’ve never read a lesbian coming of age story， let alone one set in 1950’s San Francisco Chinatown during the Red Scare so this book gave me windows into a world I was completely unfamiliar with。 The quote on the front says “this book is for anyone who has loved— in any sense of the word。” And I agree。 The falling in-love scenes were so visceral & takes you back to the first time you’ve experienced love。 I admire so many things about this book stylistically as well— the author include Fantastic。 I’ve never read a lesbian coming of age story， let alone one set in 1950’s San Francisco Chinatown during the Red Scare so this book gave me windows into a world I was completely unfamiliar with。 The quote on the front says “this book is for anyone who has loved— in any sense of the word。” And I agree。 The falling in-love scenes were so visceral & takes you back to the first time you’ve experienced love。 I admire so many things about this book stylistically as well— the author included timelines which was unique and seemed to seamlessly switch perspectives to allow you to view the story from a new angle。 This is a rare book that has it all， great character development， good plot & pacing， and interesting writing style。 Highly recommend。 。。。more
Jamie
，
Desperately wanted to read a book with POC protagonists and ohhhhh my god， this did not disappoint。 Truly obsessed。
Amanda Shepard （Between-the-Shelves）
，
4。5/5 starsThis definitely lived up to all the hype！ It's not getting 5 full stars just because it was a bit slow moving in parts， but it was necessary to the overall storytelling。 Lo just captures Lily's voice so accurately， and the timelines and everything felt so authentic and well-researched。 This isn't a topic covered much （if at all） in young adult literature， and I definitely think it was a voice that needed to be heard。 4。5/5 starsThis definitely lived up to all the hype！ It's not getting 5 full stars just because it was a bit slow moving in parts， but it was necessary to the overall storytelling。 Lo just captures Lily's voice so accurately， and the timelines and everything felt so authentic and well-researched。 This isn't a topic covered much （if at all） in young adult literature， and I definitely think it was a voice that needed to be heard。 。。。more
Madeleine
，
Wow this book。 So good。 Ending wasn’t happy but absolutely as anticipated for a lesbian in 1950s Chinatown。
Emily
，
I am SO glad to have read this。
Jasmine Ayon
，
I loved it！ I loved Lily's thoughts and the accuracy of it！ A very well thought out book and well written。 I loved it！ I loved Lily's thoughts and the accuracy of it！ A very well thought out book and well written。 。。。more
kc
，
so good :"） and hits way too close to home so good :"） and hits way too close to home 。。。more
Autumn
，
3。75 starsMalinda Lo has written a love letter to queer Asian Americans， reaching back to the past and writing a story to reveal the histories of those often glossed over。 Lily and her friends live in 1950s San Francisco Chinatown; they are subject to suspicion because of the "red scare。" Lily's family has to do everything they can to show their allegiance to the U。S。 after a brush with alleged communists。 The FBI has taken her father's identification and they are afraid that they could face dep 3。75 starsMalinda Lo has written a love letter to queer Asian Americans， reaching back to the past and writing a story to reveal the histories of those often glossed over。 Lily and her friends live in 1950s San Francisco Chinatown; they are subject to suspicion because of the "red scare。" Lily's family has to do everything they can to show their allegiance to the U。S。 after a brush with alleged communists。 The FBI has taken her father's identification and they are afraid that they could face deportation， despite the fact that he is a citizen。 So when Lily starts to frequent a lesbian bar in secret and discovers she may like girls， she doesn't tell anyone。 The story was a little long and sometimes the history felt muddled （I'll have to do more research）， but ultimately， Lily's story has all the makings of a good coming-of-age narrative， with a cute romance and an epilogue that inspires hope。 。。。more
Sierra Carter
，
This book was such a heartwarming and well researched historical fiction。 The main character Lily is a senior in high school growing up in 1950s Chinatown in San Francisco and dealing with the impacts of the government’s ongoing hunt of Chinese Americans and people in the LGBT community during the height of the Red Scare。 The language and descriptions of the city that the author used as well as Lily’s own internal monologue really transported you into the story and this was another book I had a This book was such a heartwarming and well researched historical fiction。 The main character Lily is a senior in high school growing up in 1950s Chinatown in San Francisco and dealing with the impacts of the government’s ongoing hunt of Chinese Americans and people in the LGBT community during the height of the Red Scare。 The language and descriptions of the city that the author used as well as Lily’s own internal monologue really transported you into the story and this was another book I had a hard time putting down！ 。。。more
Anne Radzanowski
，
I listened to the audiobook and it was so good。 I think that I went into this book expecting a nice little sapphic YA story， but what I got was so much more。 This book transcends so many levels， covering history， Asian American culture， and queer stories， all while exploring Lily’s coming of age。 It was a beautiful book， the narrator was fantastic and really portrayed the emotions of each of the characters。 Now that I have listened to this book I will probably end up reading it soon！
Belle
，
Amazing， I need more
Magui
，
aaaaaaaa
lauraღ
，
How precious she was， and how miraculous。 A little while ago， I sort of gave up on Malinda Lo， just kind of deciding that her style wasn't for me。 I'm so so glad that I reconsidered that and gave this book a chance， because I liked it so much。I haven't read a lot of fiction that takes place in the American 1950s， smack dab in the middle of the red scare。 And I've read none before this that take a teenage， lesbian， Chinese-American perspective。 This was incredibly well-researched， very charact How precious she was， and how miraculous。 A little while ago， I sort of gave up on Malinda Lo， just kind of deciding that her style wasn't for me。 I'm so so glad that I reconsidered that and gave this book a chance， because I liked it so much。I haven't read a lot of fiction that takes place in the American 1950s， smack dab in the middle of the red scare。 And I've read none before this that take a teenage， lesbian， Chinese-American perspective。 This was incredibly well-researched， very character-focused， with a lot of emphasis on history and the main character's internal musings， self-discovery and personal growth。 Coming out/self discovery in a historical milieu is always so amazing to read， and it was perfect here。 It was intense， and made more so because of the era， and Lily being unsure that girls like her even existed， and the euphoria that came with finding out that she wasn't alone。 It didn't quite have a found family vibe， but there was definitely a sense of community in the Telegraph Club， and the joy that Lily found there with Kath and all the other women。 The romance was wonderful， but it wasn't centre-stage。 It was about Lily coming to terms with herself。 It was like finding water after a drought。 She couldn’t drink enough， and her thirst made her ashamed， and the shame made her angry。 The historical titbits were fascinating， and so I obviously wanted more。 I thought the subplot with the communist group was going to be way more consequential than it actually was; same for a few side characters who didn't end up having as much stake in the story as I hoped/thought they would。 I would have liked to have seen a few more scenes talking about space/Lily and Kath's aspirations。 The ending definitely wasn't as fleshed out as I might've hoped， and a few things happened off screen that I wanted to see。Thankfully， I had no other nit-picks than these。 My main grouse with Lo is usually that there's too much head-hopping in her books， （my biggest writing pet peeve） and this book was blessedly told solely in Lily's third person POV。 There were some flashbacks told from the perspectives of side characters， but they were good， and added atmosphere and context （though truly， I wouldn't have enjoyed the book less without them）。 Listened to the audiobook as read by Emily Woo Zeller， which was really fantastic and really helped with my enjoyment。 I just adore the timbre of her voice，a nd she's really talented when it comes to voices and accents。 Check out Hsinju's review for more thoughts on this。 I'm really pleasantly surprised。 I probably won't read any more of Lo's backlist， but I'll keep an eye out for her future work！ 。。。more
Q☼
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