Last Night at the Telegraph Club
Winner of the National Book Award
A New York Times Bestseller "The queer romance we've been waiting for."--Ms. Magazine 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. (Cover image may vary.)
A New York Times Bestseller "The queer romance we've been waiting for."--Ms. Magazine 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. (Cover image may vary.)
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Community Reviews
This was such a great read. Vivid characters, great tension, wonderful historical details. Must read.
Highly readable, managing fluffy teen love, the tensions of racial and sexual bigotry, raw emotion, and family dynamics.
Lily Hu is the main character and point of view, but peppered in are earlier memories from different family members. Family, community, and conformity are major themes in this historical work.
In the paperback edition (I’m assuming also the hardback, but I’m not certain), the fictional narrative is followed by the author discussing historical sources and specific reasons for characterizations and dynamics.
I highly enjoyed this work. I laughed, I learned, I had several cries. The HEA is diverted due to the reality of the time period of the 1950s. But it doesn’t feel like the heroine or love interest was shafted unnecessarily. There’s hope and love here. I’m glad to glimpse the world of this book, and I hope the author returns frequently to other time periods that overlap with these characters.
This was such an emotion and beautiful read. I started crying when the police came into the bar to arrest those who were there. I am so grateful that we live in an age where it is more acceptable to be who you are. I can't wait to read the newest book that Malinda Lo has released!
This book has so much depth. It was a slow burn, but worth the anticipation. I enjoyed the time line of things and the characters. I still want to know what happened to Kath and did Lana and Timmy stay together? So many unanswered questions!
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