Last Night at the Telegraph Club is a marvelous read. The Millicent Library’s book club “Pages and Pastries'' read the book in January. Last Night at the Telegraph Club has two main characters: Kath and Lily. Their love is so strong, but Chinatown 1954 isn't safe for two girls to fall in love. I really like how Malinda Lo created a slow storyline with very interesting and intricate details. An example of this is when Kath saves Lily from an embarrassing moment. This happens when Will, a student in her class, asks her to be his date for the school dance. She gets uncomfortable and runs to the girl’s bathroom in which she meets Kath. Then, the two walk home together and Kath asks Lily to call her Kath instead of Kathleen, her real name. She says “that’s what my friends call me”, signifying they’re friends.
This builds to more action scenes later on in the book where they go to a bright neon lesbian bar called The Telegraph Club. I also really like how another character, Shirley, Lily’s friend, has a big part in their relationship and friendship. The book is mainly structured on Kath’s and Lily’s relationship but it also focuses on friend drama. I very much like the amazing information the author gives on history at that time and I really learned a lot about what Chinatown was like in 1952. I also learned about what challenges same sex relationships faced in that period.
VERDICT: An amazing historical fiction novel, and a great book for Young Adults.
-Clara Douglas