Last Night at the Telegraph Club

This just might be my most favorite book of the year! I know we’re only in February, but still! This has long been waiting on my TBR pile and I could kick myself for taking so long to pick this up. This is a YA historical sapphic tale set in 1950s San Francisco. Lily a high school senior is the epitome of a “good Chinese girl” responsible and respectful. Her world is thrown into a tailspin when she realizes that she likes girls. Accompanying her in this discovery is Kath, a fellow senior and together they find “themselves” under the heady atmosphere of the Telegraph Club. There was so much to love about this book from the authenticity of the backdrop to the incredibly sweet romance playing out. Malinda Lo has clearly done a ton of research (check out her Author’s note, it’s amazing), you can see it come to life in the rich description of the city, the smokey club, the character mannerisms and interactions. All of which have that ring of reality to it and serves to completely immerse you in that time period. I loved how Lo slowly built out Lily’s affirmation of who she is from feeling initially guilty about her attraction, to being brave enough to seek out the Telegraph Club to proudly standing up to her beliefs and her love for Kath. There are lots of side characters and side stories, all serving the purpose of highlighting the political climate, drama and mental makeup of the characters. But my favorite was Lily’s aunt and role model Judy. Her last line “I don’t understand what you’ve been going through, but you’ll just have to put up with me until I do understand.” was just perfect and you know inside that Lily would be okay with Judy in her corner. That last portion of the book is a lip wobbler so get ready coz it packs a punch and that epilogue was just pure class. No saccharine HEA but something filled with lots of love and hope. The hype is well deserved! So don’t put it off anymore just go read it! Easily 5🌟s

”She felt as if she had finally cracked the last part of a code she had been puzzling over for so long that she couldn’t remember when she had started deciphering it. She felt exhilarated." Meet seventeen year old Lily Hu, who lives in San Francisco in the 1950’s. She is Chinese American and dreams of going to college and working with her Aunt at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, to assist with getting a rocket into space. Her and her friend Kathleen Miller, aka Kath, are the only two girls in their advanced math class. Kath dreams of becoming a pilot one day. Over time, Lily finds ads in magazines of male impersonators and is fascinated. The ad slips out of one of her books one day while she is in the bathroom, and her classmate Kath finds it. She tells her that she has seen the male impersonator in the ad before, Tommy Andrews, at the Telegraph Club. She tells Lily she can take her if she wants to go and Lily agrees. She wants to explore the feelings she has that she cannot quite explain yet. Over time, Lily’s feelings for Kath change from that of a friendship to something much more. Malinda Lo did an unquestionably, fantastic job with this YA historical fiction LGBTQ novel. She touched on a subject that many authors have not written about; being an Asian American teen that identifies as a lesbian in the 1950’s. This was during a time when being gay was considered illegal, where there could be no public affection shown between members of the same sex, and when gay members could not congregate in bars/clubs. It was also during a time when the government was looking for communists. One wrong move, and Lily and her family could potentially be deported just based off of who they socialized with. Lo did her research and it shows. I especially appreciated the “Author’s Notes” section at the end of the book which gave additional information and pictures. I believe this would be a great read for younger members of the LGBTQ community. My only critiques would be that towards the middle of the book it felt a tad slow. I also wished there was more information on how Lily and Kath’s relationship turned out. In the epilogue, their relationship status is left open and I wished I knew more about what the future held for them.

A beautifully written, historically accurate coming of age queer love story. The author even includes in the end a section discussing why she uses the language she does. This is a really good glimpse into the realities of queerness in the '50s and it wasn't all pretty. The unique viewpoint of Asian American life in the '50s prompted some history deep diving on my end and I love when a book prompts further interest in topics you realize you knew very little about. We're all so absorbed in our own worlds and it was a pleasure getting to glimpse into another world that wasn't actually another world at all. Wonderful young adult read.

Llego súper rápido y en buenas condiciones, y a pesar de no haberlo acabado, el libro es fantástico, lo recomiendo!

Book cover was damaged. The corners were folded.

One of the best books I read in English in 2022. Recommended to both teenagers and adults.

This is a book I wish I had read when I was sixteen. It is a beautiful and powerful story about growing up and discovering who you are.

Esse livro é a mais pura perfeição, acho que nunca vou esquecer dele e do que ele me fez sentir. Malinda Lo com certeza tem o jeito com as palavras, eu já tinha lido outros livros dela e amado, mas com esse aqui da pra ver o quanto ela evoluiu com a escrita dela, como ficou mais madura e imersiva. Me senti em 1950 presenciando todas as dificuldades que uma garota como a Lily tinha que viver dia a pós dia, mas como na maioria dos livros da Malinda, ela te impulsiona com esperança pelas protagonistas e por um futuro melhor pra elas. Esse livro sempre vai ter um lugarzinho especial no meu coração.