First and foremost I would like to thank @PenguinTeen, @MalindaLo, and @NetGalley for an advanced e-copy of this book. Last Night at the Telegraph Club released on 1.19.21 and it is an #OwnVoices historical contemporary set in 1954 Chinatown in San Francisco. We find a young Chinese American woman exploring her sexuality and the pressures of being a “good Chinese daughter,” and fitting into a society in which she was born into but also protected against as she lived her entire life in Chinatown.

When Lily begins to get to know Kath, a girl who seems so sure of herself, she begins to understand these feelings she’s had for other girls/women for her entire life. Kath invites her to join her at the underground lesbian bar, the Telegraph Club in which a whole new world opens up to Lily, thrusting her into a life where she finally feels like she belongs.

At one point, Lily says about the club, “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.” This quote right here sums up how I feel about equal rights in America. She should not feel ashamed for enjoying or loving something or someone. Feeling angry is how many of us have felt. This quote will resonate with me for a very, very, very long time.

This book covers a wide range of social issues, still going on today. The microaggressions made my skin crawl. People automatically assume Lily can’t speak English, or mockingly attempt to speak her language… even calling her China Doll. UGH!

Grace, the mother, gets her own POV in which it’s told from the past. She says something that resonates with me as a Korean American - “An unfamiliar emotion swelled inside of her at this image, a strangely sharp pang for a place she never visited, for people she resembled but did not know. As she stared blankly down at her text book, she thought that perhaps it was patriotism, but not for America. For China.” I understand the stress and strain put on Asian American families, especially during this historical time of The Red Scare… but it doesn’t excuse the vitriol spilled from Grace during Lily’s time of need.

Y’all, there’s no two ways around it. I loved this book. There were so many times where I felt connected to Lily and her experience. Coming out in the Asian community, especially during that time was incredibly scandalous and could have serious consequences for your family. My heart broke for her and for Kath so many times during this book. Having someone as sensitive and caring as Kath for Lily’s first love made this book even sweeter. She never had any ill intentions and was always looking out for Lily’s best interests.

Overall, I loved this book and this author. I feel like I could go on forever about it. So I’ll just leave you with this. Buy this book, check it out from the library, borrow it from a friend. It’s important.

Thoughts and Themes: It took me longer than intended to get through this book. At first it was because the story was quite slow and I was having difficulty getting engaged, but then it was because it was bringing up memories of the past for me and I had to take a minute to take care of myself. While I did have to take a step back because of the feelings this book was causing, I loved that this book took me back to my high school years and that feeling of falling in love for the first time.

I rarely read historical fiction but I really enjoyed this story and really enjoyed how this story feels like you are there with the characters. Throughout this story I felt that I was there walking the streets of San Francisco with Lily and there at the telegraph club with her. I liked all of the descriptions that are provided through this book and enjoyed getting to see San Francisco through a different time and parts of San Francisco that I had not seen before.

Characters: There is a range of characters that you are introduced to throughout this story and each of them are relatable. I really liked getting to know Lily and the rest of the people that she comes into contact with. I like that you start with Lily not knowing a lot about herself and questioning her sexuality. I think that it was great that we get to see that she is questioning this and then we see the moment where she confirms that she is a lesbian.

The story is slow paced throughout the whole book even when action scenes take place. I really liked the pacing of this story though because you watch as Lily and Kath’s relationship slowly develops over time. The pacing allows you to see the small aspects of this relationship and the little details that go into them sharing their feelings with each other.

Writing Style: This story is written in third person and goes back and forth to their present time and the past. We get to see the perspective from Judy as well as the story told by following Lily. I really liked that we got to see some snippets from when lily was younger as well as some parts of her family’s history.

Overall: Malinda Lo’s setting really show how great her characters are and vice-versa.

Pros:
Red-Scare paranoia. This was shown for exactly what it was at the time.
Lesbian culture. On the flip side to the paranoia, we get a lesbian bar and falling in love.
The characters. POVs in multiple perspectives and Lily feeling out of place makes for a great recipe.

Cons:
Pacing. The book does have a slower start, but later makes up for it.

Lily is realizing she is a lesbian and the reader gets to follow along as she fights with her Chinese culture, the racism and homophobia of the time (1950s), and her own feelings for a fellow student. The writing felt very honest as Lily tries to walk the line between what her friends and family expected of her, what she wanted for herself, and what she was learning about herself. And of course I loved the setting in San Francisco and got a little choked up with the mention of the very recently closed Cliff House. Without being preachy, the story offered support to young people struggling to find and love themselves.

Thank you Penguin Teen Canada for the copy of this book.
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There is a lot more happening in this book than I initially expected, and I really enjoyed it. Lily is a young teenage girl growing up in San Francisco after the Second World War. She is very smart, and she has to navigate being one of the only women in the math and science classes. She is not respected for her knowledge and laughed at for wanting to go to space.
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Lily is also trying to figure out her sexual identity. When she makes friends with Kath, another woman in her math and science classes, Lily is exposed to a whole new world by entering the Telegraph Club, where women go to feel a sense of belonging.
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On top of all this, Lily is Chinese American, so she also experiences racism during a time when people in the USA were afraid of Communism, and therefore targeted Chinese people because of what was going on in China.
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One thing I would have liked a bit more of is the flashbacks with her mom and dad. I wanted more of their story and found them very interesting!
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CW: sexism, racism, violence, homophobia

Thanks so much to Penguin Teen for the advanced copy!

This is such a wonderful book. Malinda Lo brings a very interesting part of history alive, and tells the story of a young woman who fights for her right to love. This is the best LGBTQIA+ love story I’ve read.

Lily Hu is seventeen and is discovering her queerness. She falls in love with Kathleen, a young woman in her class and they explore their relationship and visit a lesbian bar called The Telegraph Club. However, it’s 1954 in America-hardly a safe place for two women to date. The Red Scare paranoia is moving fast, especially through Lily’s home in Chinatown. Against all the odds, Lily and Kathleen risk everything to be themselves and fight for love.

This is a history lesson we all need. The book covers so much about communism and the lesbian community in 1954 San Francisco- as well as being Chinese-American. Malinda Lo writes from a very personal place. I can tell how much love, care, and research went into this book. Don’t miss it!!

For seventeen years, Lily Hu has been—at least outwardly—a dutiful daughter, happily completing all her family and community obligations. If she is more interested in math and space travel than girls should be, well, after all, her beloved Aunt Judy is a human computer at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena.

But Lily has a secret concealed from even her best friend, Shirley. She keeps pictures of Katherine Hepburn, Marlene Dietrich, and male impersonator Tommy Andrews hidden in her favorite book. In the afternoons, she sneaks into the drugstore to read Strange Season, a pulp fiction book about two women in love.

When Kathleen “Kath” Miller, inadvertently sees Lily’s picture of Tommy and signals understanding, the girls develop a friendship. Kath, the only other girl in Advanced Math and who dreams of being a pilot, represents not only the world outside Chinatown but also, perhaps, a girl Lily could love. Despite the risks, they sneak out to visit the Telegraph Club, a lesbian bar and soon become ensconced Tommy’s orbit.

At the same time, federal agents are intent on rooting out communism in Chinatown. Even though Lily’s father served in WWII and became a citizen, he is threatened with deportation. The entire family faced even more pressure to be a respectable, “proper” American family.

When Lily’s burgeoning identity and love for Kath and her charge to be a good Chinese-American daughter inevitably collide, Lily must determine how to honor her truth while negotiating the relationships with those she loves.

In 1950s San Francisco, Lily faces prejudice and discrimination on multiple fronts. The denizens of the Telegraph Club embrace her as a token Asian yet erase her identity by calling her “China Doll.” Shirley at times wishes she weren’t Chinese because of the closeness of the community which brings pressure to be perfect. A particularly disturbing section describes a motorized diorama of an opium den. Yet, in Chinatown, in the Hu family, there is no possibility of being gay. While it’s heartbreaking to see Lily’s situation, her empowered reaction is inspiring.

Malinda Lo clearly conducted extensive research for this book. Whether she was describing the ambiance of the club, the clothing, the streets of Chinatown, or the greater San Francisco environs, I felt completely immersed in the time and place.

I wish the book had included a little bit more about Kath’s family and home life and expounded on the threats to her father, but these are extremely small quibbles. The book is worth reading for its exploration of multiple identities, its love story, and its historical context.

Last Night At The Telegraph Club feels personal and intimate, as if I’m taking a cautious glance directly into Lily’s heart, and it makes the book all the more gripping. I feel every single one of Lily’s emotions as if they were my own. It is a deeply heartbreaking exploration of our protagonist's struggle with her racial and sexual identity in a time period where she does not feel accepted for either. One side of her identity, she’s always known and never questioned until it became a barrier to her future. The other, she is just beginning to understand and explore. This contrast is done beautifully.

I would advise readers to go into this story with the knowledge of it being an interracial lesbian romance set in the 1950s at the forefront of their minds. Every odd is stacked against our protagonists, and Malinda Lo does not shy away from the harsh realities of the homophobia, racism, and sexism of the time.

My 4 star rating is due to the abrupt ending (though narratively it is a choice that makes sense, I had just wished for something different) and lack of closure for other characters and plotlines.

I have to be honest, what drew me to this book was the cool cover art. I hadn't read any Malinda Lo books before, but I'm always interested in broadening my horizons. And this historical novel featuring an Asian-American teen waking up to her sexual identity definitely met my expectations and then some.

Lily Hu is a good Chinese girl, living in Chinatown, with Chinese friends, in the late 1950s. As she's reading the newspaper one day, she spots an advertisement for a male impersonator performing at a place called the Telegraph Club. She sneaks the page out of the paper and is transfixed by the headshot of the singer. Working in a group in class one day, Lily realizes she has things in common with their Caucasian groupmate, Kathleen, and soon the two become friends. It is Kath who takes Lily - at her request - to see the impersonator at the Telegraph Club.

The book is told mostly from Lily's perspective, but Lo also peppers the storyline with historical snippets about Lily's father, mother, and aunt, giving the story a full multi-generational feel. She also uses Cantonese words, all defined in footnotes, which brings an authenticity to the novel. I loved the depiction of Lily's journey and exploration of who she is and who she wants to be. The ending was hopeful and satisfying at the same time.

I love reading Own Voices books, because they allow me a window into cultures I am not ordinarily a part of. Lo does a fabulous job here with a Chinese lesbian in a time when being out and proud was not something one did. I highly recommend this book.

Oh gosh, I don’t even know where to begin to review this one! There were so many layers, both informative in their history and emotional in their journeys. I’m not usually one for historical fiction, but the way Malinda Lo folded historical events into the present-day storyline was engaging. Admittedly, I found it a bit tough to follow the timeline sometimes, but I’m not sure if that was just because the ARC formatting was off.

This story shined a spotlight on the 1950s San Francisco scene, including Chinatown and the queer community. (cw for external and internalized homomisia) Lo says in her author’s note that there aren’t many records for queer Asian Americans at that time, so she wanted to write Lily’s story framed within that idea. It was definitely uncomfortable when the white characters would refer to her as “China doll” and constantly asked if she spoke English; it seemed to be symbolic of how queer BIPOC people are still deemed “other” in the white queer community.

There are many points like this, as well as what it was like (and still like) to be Asian in America, and how conflicting it can be to miss your home country even when you’ve never been there or may never get to go back. There were also examples of sexism in the 50s (girls and women being told they can’t hold certain jobs or like “boy” things)—let’s face it, things that still persist today, like the lack of women in STEM.

I can’t speak to the rep in this one—Asian American, specially Chinese, and lesbian—but as a queer person, I empathized with Lily’s feeling of living two lives, where those closest to you don’t know the you that you’re becoming. My heart broke for Lily and Kath, but also held so much hope for them. (No spoilers, but let me just say, thank GOODNESS for the epilogue!)

I feel like this review was more of a ramble, but it’s really because there was so much packed into this story that I can’t begin to touch on all of it. It could have been a little shorter, maybe less detail-oriented, and I’m confused a bit by the inclusion of Lily’s parents’ short backgrounds/POVs. Lo says in the author’s note that part of their story is inspired by her own parents’ history, but I thought the POVs were leading toward this big reveal or something. I would have been ok with less, but I also know that many people will appreciate all of these details, so it’s less of a negative and more of a personal preference.

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo 🌉

Thank you to @penguinteen for the eARC via @netgalley. Last Night is available on January 19! ✨

Set in 1950’s San Francisco Chinatown during the Red Scare, the novel tells the story of high school senior Lily Hu, a girl who dreams of building rockets to space and seeing Tommy Andrews, a “male impersonator,” perform at the Telegraph Club, a local lesbian bar. Her classmate Kath invites her to go one night, and Lily begins to discover that she is not alone and her feelings don’t need to be a secret.

Wow. This book was so stunning and made me feel so many raw emotions. I loved the setting and the characters, all of whom felt very real and fleshed out with their own desires, goals, and personalities. While the time period and culture are obviously very different from my own, the experience of coming out and exploring your identity as a child of immigrants is still so universal. Lily’s journey of self-discovery was so special and precious to me, and I was rooting for her the entire time. Last Night at the Telegraph Club is the perfect start to 2021, and I hope to read many more wonderful YA books in this same vein.

I knew from the beginning of Last Night at the Telegraph Club that it would break my heart. Lo delivers a book that was destined to appeal to all my soft spots. A Chinese-American space obsessed girl coming to terms with her queer identity while also struggling with her family's future and the growing racism against the Chinese. Not to mention her name is Lily - talk about mind meld! Lily's story is one of feeling out of place, with everything against her. It's about those experiences when we discover language to feelings we never knew had a name.

At the same time, Last Night at the Telegraph Club is a story about Lily struggling with her feelings and the growing insecurity of her future. To know that if she were to be public about her queer identity, it could give the government another reason to deport them. How their future depends on her maintaining the status quo. How the government doesn't need an excuse. Lo introduces layers to Last Night at the Telegraph Club by adding POV chapters from Lily's family. It becomes a story about the generational immigrant mentality, about their struggles for security and fears for the future.

While many might have heard about McCarthy and the Red Scare during the 1950s, the Lavender Scare is not as well know. The Lavender Scare was a time where gays and lesbians were targeted by the federal government. Homophobia was common as most did not understand the complexities of gender and sexual identity. Amidst the Black Civil Rights movement, the LGBTQ right movements began in the 1950s.

Malinda Lo’s beautiful novel about intersectionality is excellent historical fiction that “un-erases” lesbian history and Chinese American history in the 1950s. The 1950s come to life in culture, fashion, and media throughout the narrative. Readers follow Lily Hu as she begins to ask questions about sexuality and gender that eventually lead her to befriend Kath. They venture across San Francisco visiting historical sites and find their way to the Telegraph Club, a lesbian bar. The novel bring to life the fears and anxieties that LGBTQ individuals experienced during the Cold War. Because of Lily’s Chinese heritage and changes as a result of the Communist Revolution in China, her character experiences complex emotions about remaining connected to her family despite the feelings she doesn’t quite understand. The novel documents the prevalence of homophobia and racism that was rampant in the 1950s. In addition to the novel, the author provides a summary of her historical research along with resources and materials. The list is helpful for readers who want to learn more about the time period and specific events.

It takes a while for the plot to get going and there are some flashbacks that I am quite sure how they helped further the storylines. The first half of the novel moved a little slowly and the ending was abrupt. There was a lot of world building, which is helpful because the readers feels as if they were in San Francisco in the 1950s.

Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC!

I really enjoyed this story of coming of age, first loves, set in Chinatown, San Francisco. Lily is a whip-smart and dutiful daughter who slowly realizes over the course of the novel that she is gay. This realization and actions resound through her close-knit family. Adding to the depth of this novel are family histories, interracial love, and a lesbian bar called The Telegraph Club.

Content Warnings: racism/racial slurs, outdated/offensive terminology (Malinda Lo specifically writes why she decides to use these terms, as she wanted to be as true to the 1950s as possible), homophobia, physical abuse, emotional abuse, underage drinking, body horror (war context), mention of miscarriage, external & internalised lesbomisia, queermisia, heteronormative language, sexism & misogyny, deportation discussed, death of a father

Last Night at the Telegraph Club has it all: the cute, the sweet, the tough moments, the coming-of-age narrative. But most of all, it's a hopeful queer love story, even in the face of the turmoil of 1950s America.

My heart was truly captured by the cute moments, and I felt grounded in the era Lily lives in partly because of how her coming out story parallels the uncertainty and chaos rising to the surface with threats of Communism dominating the mainstream. She's both fighting and growing more confident her sexuality, while the events now known to history are quickly becoming intersected with her life.

An important piece of Last Night at the Telegraph Club is its constant evaluation of "Who is an American?" and how exactly are we defining "American"? What makes us include or exclude a person from this definition we have created? "American" is so malleable and flexible; yet, there are times when we treat it as if it's a clear cut identity that is easy to define.

In addition, since Lily (the main character) is Chinese American and she lives in San Francisco's Chinatown, there were definitely parts in the book where I was nodding my head in agreement. I also liked how Malinda Lo included both Mandarin and Cantonese (sometimes romanized and sometimes in characters), since both are spoken. There are occasionally footnotes to explain the meaning or the general translation can be understood from the context of the sentence/chapter etc.

I was pleasantly surprised when the flashbacks appeared. I think that these flashbacks gave the story more depth, time-wise, since they were told from the perspectives of Lily's mother and Lily's aunt Judy. Their stories blend into Lily's in her present-day.

There wasn't much that I explicitly disliked, but I cannot stand Shirley, Lily's best friend. Oh my goodness. Cannot stand her. However, since we are seeing Shirley from Lily's perspective, and Lily does acknowledge some of Shirley's as a person/friend, I grudgingly went along. Lo does make a good point about toxic and manipulative friendships through the Lily and Shirley dynamic.

The only small thing that got me was that the ending was pretty jarring. Since there's a time jump, I think that's what caught me off guard. But it is a hopeful ending, so yay!

In other things: can we talk about the cover for Last Night at the Telegraph Club?? After reading and taking another look at the image, you can really feel like you're on the street that the Telegraph Club is situated. I recognized some of the places mentioned in the book, and, of course, there's Lily and Kath in the corner!! I love how the cover is bursting with life and possibilities.

I think it's also important to mention that Lo provides some more historical context at the end of the book plus a select bibliography as well. These additions are a testament to her research and rounding out how she tells the story of a lesbian Chinese American girl living in San Francisco's Chinatown in the '50s.

f you're looking for a pure happiness sapphic story, I would be a little cautious with Last Night at the Telegraph Club because there are definitely some heavy topics discussed such as racism, Communism, lesbophobia/queerphobia.

However, I would definitely recommend! There's something for everyone here, and if all of its elements speak to you, then Last Night at the Telegraph Club might be perfect for you: history, lesbians!!, San Francisco nightlife in the 1950s, and the Asian diaspora, to name a few things!

TW: period typical racism, homophobia, sexism

If you are looking for a way to break into the realm of historical fiction this is a great book to do it with. "Last Nigh at the Telegraph Club" is the story of two girls falling in love in 1950's San Francisco during the red scare. Chinese-American teenager Lily Hu is our main character and she is captivated by the Telegraph Club which is a lesbian bar she sees an ad for and thus begins her journey of self discovery. She is fascinated with the feelings she has for the club as well as their main act, Tommy Andrews, a male impersonator. She befriends a girl from her school, Kath, who has been to the club and they begin to go together and lose themselves amid Communist anxiety and harsh prejudice against homosexuals. This story is about Lily finding herself both in terms of her sexuality and who she wants to be. We see her grow and learn about her new feelings as a relationship between Lily and Kath develops and Lily owns her sexuality.

I read a lot of historical romance but most of it is based in the regency era and follows straight white love stories so I was really looking forward to breaking out of my comfort zone. This book was a great way to start reading about a different historical era while still focusing heavily on romance which I loved. I have to admit that I think this is the first story I've read that focuses on a WLW relationship and I am here for it. Lily and Kath made my heart ache as their connection felt so pure and their fondness for one another was so human (if that makes sense). I felt like I was right there with them experiencing their journey. Lo's writing drew me in and I could always visualize exactly where she wanted the reader to be whether it was bustling Chinatown or the Telegraph Club filled with warmth and new experiences. The classroom scene with Kath and Lily was probably the highlight of this book and I literally can't describe the feelings it gave me. Watching Lily figure out her sexuality and discover herself was so poignant and the way that Lo wrote everything was so nuanced. I sped through the last chunk of the book anxious and greedy for more as there were so many questions I had that needed an answer.

However, while there were many positives to this book I also had a few problems that really hindered my reading. For instance, one of the main conflict points is that this story takes place during the red scare with the threat of deportation for Communism running rampant. But, there really is no conflict or big event regarding the threat of Communism. It felt like just a backdrop and I wish the author would have done more to use it as a plot device. There were a few mentions of it affecting Lily's family but it's really never touched upon again in a major way. In addition, there is a scene where Lily unknowingly goes to a youth Communist group picnic that some of her friends are a part of. However, the picnic is only mentioned once or twice and then forgotten about and those characters are pushed to the side. Even towards the end when there is a seemingly important discovery that I thought would be talked about more it is quickly covered during an argument and then boom done. There are also a lot of chapters that follow Lily and her childhood best friend Shirley as they navigate their bumpy friendship. This in itself isn't a bad thing as I think it added to the story and helped readers understand Lily and her relationships better. The problem is there were so many unnecessary (in my opinion) scenes with them including random picnics, dress shopping, and more preparation for Miss Chinatown. While all of this is happening there is a huge part of the climax that is yet to be answered and we as readers have to suffer through these chapters while still hoping our questions are answered. Unfortunately, I really feel like my questions were never answered. There is a big conflict scene towards the end that is very important and emotional but the actual ending left me unsatisfied. I was disappointed and I felt like the epilogue came way too quickly. What happened? Time passes and we never really get answers which left a lackluster ending for me. Furthermore, there are a few chapters that include POV switches to Lily's aunt, mom, and dad that I felt pretty unnecessary. If anythingLily's aunts chapters made some kind of sense for the plot but the mom and dad just felt out of place.

So while I spoke of quite a few negatives above my overall enjoyment of this book kind of outweighed them. This love story will stick with me and I encourage others to read it. I'm giving it 3.5/5 stars, it was beautiful book filled with love and heartache and It exposed me to a different time with different culture

i received a free ARC from Penguin Teen via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Penguin Teen for the chance to read this wonderful book.

This was such a lovely YA historical fiction read! When it comes to themes of identity, it takes on quite a lot -- our main character is a wonderful exploration of what it meant to be Chinese American and queer in the 1950s. I think Malinda Lo took on a difficult task and did a wonderful job of it. While the setting is fun and lively, the plot itself is fairly straightforward. The power of the story largely lies in the MC's introspection and the hidden world (of the Telegraph Club) that slowly unfurls to her. I think this book will appeal to many, including fans of Kristin Lambert's The Boy in the Red Dress!

Thank you Penguin Teen for providing an e-galley through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

It's always great to see more historical fiction touching on time periods we see less often (heads up: not everything needs to be set during World War II!) and featuring marginalized characters. The setting and the sense of the 1950s was really strongly evoked, and I really appreciated the balance between realism and hope in the story and the ending in particular, letting readers know that despite the hardship, queer people did live happy and fulfilled and loving lives throughout history. However, I found the pacing extremely slow - it's often the sort of story where not much happens - and the focus on both the Red and Lavender Scares to be overly peripheral to the recountings of relationships and everyday happenings. Additionally, while the flashbacks outside of Lily's perspective seemed intended to elucidate on the concept of American identity and the importance of fitting in to her family, I didn't find them particularly effective in that regard, or at least no more so than the main POV.

Malinda Lo created an enrapturing story about Lily, a young woman pulled in two binary directions struggling to fulfil societal and familial roles, and follow her heart. The friend conflict was powerfully realistic, painfully accurate. This was such an easy book to devour, just utterly get lost in this world, I didn't want it to end. Lo included little timelines that helped me place this historical fiction in its proper place, that was a such a huge help to orient myself. Thanks to Netgalley and Dutton Books for Young Readers for an e-arc.

The lush narrative envelopes the reader in the internal dynamics of a teen girl coming into her own in a detailed historical romance.