3.5

This historical fiction book is set in 1950s in San Francisco following a young Chinese American girl as she discovers her identity as a lesbian and how there is no place in this world for a Chinese American and lesbian.

This author really did her research from using different Chinese dialects to historical landmarks and times. I really appreciated that and it really made the setting come to life. The characters were interesting however I found at times things were overly descriptive and I would start to get a little bored.

The characters were very well done. There was a wide variety of them and I really enjoyed the relationship between Kath and Lily. The ending was bittersweet it wasn’t a perfect ending but I also wasn’t a pile of tears on the floor.

I don’t think this book is for everyone, but I really appreciate the highlight of the LGBTQ community and the things that they faced in the 1950s. These are people alive today and some who are still struggling to find a place in this world. The struggles that Lily face discovering who she is while also struggling to find a place as a Chinese in America was very well done in this book.

Didn't capture my attention and engagement. Interested in trying it again though and hopefully it will take.

I absolutely love this book. I feel so bad for Lily when things came to a head with her family, but getting to watch her go through this journey of discovering a part of herself was a wonderful thing to witness.

Last Night at the Telegraph Club is set in San Francisco's Chinatown during the 1950s. 17-year-old Lily Hu struggles to fit into her school and community. She longs to work at the Jet Propulsion lab where her aunt works and is slowly recognizing she is attracted to women. When she and Kath, a classmate whose goal is to fly airplanes, connect over an ad for a male impersonator at the lesbian Telegraph Club, her life changes forever. They sneak out and enjoy the scene at the club, as well as their growing attraction to each other. Fearing her family's disapproval and the very real danger of McCarthyism and the Lavender Scare, Lily struggles to reconcile her identity as a Chinese American and a lesbian in a time fraught with danger for both. The author's notes are a novella in and of themselves. Lo (Ash) explains how Lily's family situation mirrors her own and provides an extensive bibliography and a section on "Lesbians, Gender, and Community." This beautifully written exploration of first love certainly deserves all the accolades it received.

I've been to San Francisco a few times, enough to relish in the recognized places mentioned in the book. I haven't been there for the gay scene, unfortunately. This book makes me want to go back, and go back in time to witness the bravery of these women. This is a really well-done story of a Chinese American lesbian born and raised in San Francisco during the Red Scare. Lo does a great job blending pressures of the Cold War, racism, and growing up in a small community (within a larger community) into the plot. I will definitely be recommending this book.

Teens already love Malinda Lo, and they will flock to this beautifully written novel. 1954 was a scary time for Chinese Americans. Especially with the Red Scare, and especially if you loved the wrong person.

This was a good sapphic book. The beginning was a little slow and I didn't much enjoy the ending but was a great historical read

A beautifully weaved together story about growing up and accepting your queer identity at a time and in a culture where such things are forbidden. Lily is a compelling and heartbreaking heroine trying to take charge of her life in 1954, where it's not safe to be queer or Asian in public. Yet this vibrant and flourishing queer underworld allows her to bloom. The text is beautifully written and the story is perfectly paced to create a world worth lounging in for awhile despite the hardships.

I really enjoyed this. The setting and the informative nature of the story were where it really shined but I liked the other parts too. You can tell that the author really did her research when writing this. I really appreciated how this took a look how Chinese immigrants were treated and looked at, especially during the time of the Red Scare, and intersected that with how Lily, a Chinese lesbian, would've been treated by those closest to her. My only issue while reading is that the flashbacks didn't add as much as I was hoping they would, but I still thought they were interesting. Overall I'd definitely recommend this.

Another great book that I plan to use in my young-adult literature class, probably next semester. This is one I know students will love, given its combination of evocative historical detail and a LGBTQ+ romance.

I do think it's really well written and researched and I love the dedication Lo shows to telling this story. The characters, especially at the Telegraph Club, felt like real people to me and I loved that. Where I'm not sold so much is on the flashbacks? I kept waiting for them to reveal something or tie together somehow, and yet they just felt disjointed and out of place.

I was interested in this book because it told the story of a young Chinese American woman coming of age and discovering her sexuality during a different era. I felt that the last quarter of the book was the strongest in terms of character complexity and plot. I felt like the beginning of the book was drawn out. Ultimately, I enjoyed the book and would recommend to others.

I'd like to preface this with how excited I was for this book. I read most of it on NetGalley and finished in with a physical copy so I could annotate. The writing and plot flows really well, but I felt that I was "waiting" for a very significant portion of the book. Waiting for Lily to go to the telegraph club, waiting for the romantic interest to be clear, waiting for the clash between her culture and her sexuality. I wish I could say it was worth waiting for, but the actual resulting moments were short and felt lacking. It's a personal pet peeve when I feel that more of a book is leading up to the action than the action itself. Is that realistic? Probably, but I don't read for realism, I read for stories and insight that I can get lost in.

All in all, this still wasn't a deal-breaker for me. It's an amazing book with really well done characters, and I would definitely recommend it. However, it is a book for people who are okay with waiting, and that I am not one of those people.

While I don't tend to read a lot of historical YA or even YA romance, I really loved this book. Last Night at the Telegraph Club is a love letter to San Francisco, a cautionary tale about xenophobia and homophobia, a young woman's coming of age, and more. I thought Lo did a great job weaving in historical elements by showing instead of telling, and Lily's character development as she navigates friendships, family, and love felt very organic and rich.

Love, love, love this book so much. Last year I read Music from Another World by Robin Talley, and if you liked that book, you'll enjoy this one too. It's a historical fiction set in San Francisco and tackles the issues of a young lesbian Chinese American girl. Beautifully told and just a story that will stick with you for a long time.

Lily Hu is growing up in 1950s San Francisco, specifically the Chinatown area. She's realizing that she feels a little bit different, but isn't quite sure why. Through reading a pulp paperback novel at the pharmacy, seeing an ad in the paper for a male impersonator, and befriending Kath, she starts to realize that she likes other women romantically. She knows that this will be frowned upon in her community, but grows to stand up for herself. Lily has friends that well-rounded as well. You can feel the weight of her relationship with Shirley and how it is changing. A realistic but not without hope ending

What a great novel! The ups and downs just kept on coming. I loved the characters and the romance, and the historical aspect had me intrigued.

1950s San Francisco Chinatown. Detailed and beautifully told following Lilly Hu's story.
The author writes such an intriguing story with difficult situations that were present back in the 50s.
Thank you Netgalley for the earc.

This remarkable and sensitive portrayal of a young lesbian living in San Franciaco's Chinatown in the 1950s captures hope, longing, and first love in the midst of impossible odds. Readers will learn about the SF queer bar scene in the 1950s, the Red Scare and its impact on both LGBTQIA+ and Chinese Americans, and what it meant to live authentically when the world (and history) did not hold a place for you. One of the best books of 2021.

LOVED this story, and the unique perspective shared. Both a coming of age and coming out story bundled into one, Lily is stuck between being a "good Chinese girl" and daughter, and pursuing her dreams, all the while honoring who she is at heart.
I haven't read a story that so eloquently blends historical fiction and the queer experience. I enjoyed reading about queer bars in San Francisco in the 50s, alongside the legalities of being queer during that time. You can tell the author put in a ton of work researching to accurately represent the slang of the time, as well as rights and restrictions.