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Book Link
Cover: https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1593457992i/35224992.jpg
ID: 670f1f673ac4a0064c271cad
Announcement: #buddy-reads message
pure questBOT
@lucid gorge,@brazen wraith,@placid dome,@carmine gyro,@blazing vortex,@unique tangle,@hardy lion,@sullen wyvern,@little kraken,@crystal blade,@iron rune,@visual ermine,@still anchor
Let’s begin our buddy read with some questions you can answer right at the start:
hardy lion
brazen wraith
im so excited for this but my hold is 4 weeks away
lucid gorge
im so excited for this but my hold is 4 weeks away<a:devastated:1094064735579799...
Would you like me to extend it? I think I can ask for 2 weeks extension!
brazen wraith
Would you like me to extend it? I think I can ask for 2 weeks extension!
Usually my holds come in before they are said to do so I don think so
But when we come closer to the end date and if I still haven't gotten it then I might need one 
lucid gorge
Usually my holds come in before they are said to do so I don think so
But when w...
Gotcha! I'll check in with you then once the end date comes closer.
visual ermine
Let’s begin our buddy read with some questions you can answer right at the start...
hardy lion
starting this now 
prologue:
||did not know that there had to be a law passed in the us about whether or not homosexuals could assemble in a bar|| ok. ||i want fried chicken now and also i do not like that man‘s expression.|| starting off on good footing but i don‘t want to jinx it yet lol
up to chapter four of part one:
||i‘m really loving the han zis, but also i don‘t understand how it is possible for only one A-grade to be given each semester for maths?||
chapter five of part one:
||marlon brando yay. i too am a fan of marlon brando||
chapter seven of part one:
||kathleen just reminds me of kathleen stabler from law & order:svu. and i am enjoying how their relationship is slowly being built. so cute.||
chapter nine of part one:
||oh boy. i am now very scared for lily. and lol. lol. did not expect her dad‘s citizenship papers to be confiscated all because he didn‘t know if calvin was a communist or not. disgraceful.||
gracie, twenty years earlier:
||i love this time skip and understanding more of lily‘s parents! and him not speaking her dialect is so cute for some reason. also, i‘m glad that this book speaks about the japanese invasion of china. outside of the atrocities of nan king, i don‘t know much about it. i love that they‘re both speaking about going back to china.||
chapter ten of part two:
||i wonder if this pamphlet is for or against communism. being sneaked into a stack of job pamphlets like that makes me think it might be against communism.||
||“She knew the pamphlet was presenting Communism as an immoral lust for power, but perversely, perhaps, she found this last warning inspirational.”||
||interesting.||
chapter eleven of part two:
||gagging and puking at that man, ew ew ew ew ew.||
chapter fifteen of part two:
||lol, so because kathleen‘s friend is queer, that also must mean that she is? bruv. and can‘t believe that people made a fuss out of calvin being with a black woman.||
chapter sixteen of part two:
||i adore lily giving shirley the cold shoulder|| 
chapter eighteen of part two:
||the, err, intention was there, but personally, i would excuse myself from life politely, if somebody had given me a fake id with the name of may lee wong.||
joseph, nine years earlier:
||i didn‘t know noting errors mentally was an old-world chinese superstition. i do it all the time and think that something bad might happen. i‘m also glad that joseph‘s time in the army was acknowledged in this chapter. this was a very beautiful chapter, i think.||
chapter twenty one of part three:||
“Lily forced herself to turn away and walk home.”
i will cry lol||
chapter twenty four of part three:
||lol, i have never seen lapcheong written this way laap ch’eung. very interesting.|| this entire chapter was very interesting. ||especially the comparison with von braun.||
judy, twenty two months earlier:
||OH TO BE CALLED HIS MOON LADY||
no
fossil lodgeBOT
hardy lion
stop it haiku
chapter twenty eight of part four:
||i would blush too honestly 
oh i loved this chapter!! everything i needed||
grace, eleven years earlier:
||“為中國佢會忍受一切.” i like this. OHHHH WAIT. i have now figured out why the name chiang kai shek is so familiar to me?! she was the first lady of taiwan?! oh my days. and i actually don‘t know if the us ended up helping china.||
chapter thirty one of part four:
||oh my freaking god, that ending scene with tommy and lily saying she is not dating kath made me gasp||
chapter thirty two of part four:
||squealing like a rat||
chapter thirty three of part four:
||this err pledge of loyalty is very interesting lol||
up to chapter thirty six of part four:
||absolutely loved these little snippets of love between kathy and lily! i am just scared for whatever bad is going to happen||
chapter thirty eight of part four:
||ah. there we go. the bad thing that i knew was going to happen. sob. AND WHERE THE FUCK IS KATH||
ok so i‘m stupid and dyscalculic so i have err completely messed up the part counts for each chapter. sorry. but the chapters are still correct.
chapter thirty nine of part six:
||oh no. i do not like that headline. this entire article just broke my heart lol. and i hate shirley so much what the hell. from calling kathy a kwai lo to saying that chinese people cannot be queer because it simply is not chinese like girl what. were you dropped on your head? as a baby? you were.||
chapter forty of part six:
||i hate everyone||
up to chapter forty five of part six:
||i miss kathy so much omg||
up to chapter forty eight of part six:
||WTF SCREAMING. and i love eddie. BUT SCREAMING||
omg i loved this so much! finished it
review and final thoughts: ||i loved this book so much. everything about it makes sense to be honest. the way shirley and lily‘s mum kept on saying that no chinese are gay and etc. it‘s a mindset that unfortunately people still have. even here the homophobes think of anything associated with lgbt as a western disease and not inherently a human trait, to love somebody else not because of what tool they use to pee. i learned a lot as well about the red scare and chinese history. and i love kath and lily. so much.||
fickle quest
Let’s begin our buddy read with some questions you can answer right at the start...
brazen wraith
Okay I actually found out I already have this available so I will start it now 
pure questBOT
@lucid gorge,@brazen wraith,@placid dome,@carmine gyro,@blazing vortex,@unique tangle,@hardy lion,@sullen wyvern,@little kraken,@crystal blade,@iron rune,@visual ermine,@still anchor,@charred ocean,@fickle quest
We're halfway through the buddy read period! Once you finish the book, feel free to answer the following:
hardy lion
visual ermine
omg i completely forgot i was buddy reading this book
im abt halfway through, and its pretty good, ||i love that lily and kathleen are stem girlies, and theyre just so awkward and adorable with each other. the older lesbian girls and their house parties seem so chill, and i kinda wanna attend one. oooh i also like the little excerpts which are not from lily's perspective||
visual ermine
part vi ||i was trying so hard not to cry throughout the chapter. i know its the 1950s, and its unreasonable to expect her parents to understand but its so sad that they (especially her mother) dont even hear her out.||
also finished
crystal blade
Let’s begin our buddy read with some questions you can answer right at the start...
I started this yesterday and I'm enjoying it so far even though the pace is slow.
crystal blade
up to chapter four of part one:
||i‘m really loving the han zis, but also i don‘...
I was thinking about that as well, because usually that kind of grade restrictions only happens in college, at least where I live 😬
pure questBOT
@lucid gorge,@brazen wraith,@placid dome,@carmine gyro,@blazing vortex,@unique tangle,@hardy lion,@sullen wyvern,@little kraken,@crystal blade,@iron rune,@visual ermine,@still anchor,@charred ocean,@fickle quest
I'm thinking of extending this Buddy Read for another 2 weeks. Would anyone like this as well?
placid dome
That would be great!
crystal blade
I'm thinking of extending this Buddy Read for another 2 weeks. Would anyone like...
Yes!!
crystal blade
Chapter 9: it was really scary, especially with everything going on || in the USA right now. You realise how unsafe immigrants must feel all the time because they're the first ones that get blamed for things that they don't even want to know about - they're just trying to fit in and become good citizens. It's crazy for me how a country repays the people that sacrificed everything for a nation that is not even "theirs". Lily's father fought in the American army, for America, for Americans, and now he gets his citizenship papers taken away... It's so unfair and deeply disturbing how these things can happen and be justified with some random motive like "fighting communism". No darling America, you're being racist and ungrateful, you're not fighting communism.||
Also, I was not expecting the different POVs. 👀
brisk beacon
BR Extended!
BR Duration: <t:1730332845:D> - <t:1734134445:D>
pure questBOT
Ongoing BuddyRead
charred ocean
Who finished this so far, what was the overall experience?
little kraken
My hold just came in!
little kraken
Started this today. Through ch 3 ||I def felt the awkwardness of clothes shopping with her mom. I wasn’t sure what to expect as I went in blind, but I’m def intrigued by the beginning||
little kraken
Ch 21 ||Yesssss loved this! Remember my first time to a gay bar. I’m sorry about the micro aggressions, but I think the writer was being authentic||
little kraken
Ch 26 ||I don’t like Shirley. She doesn’t seem to care what Lily wants to do. I’ve had friends like that||
little kraken
Ch 28 ||Awww she’s got the anxiety. And yeah I agree, drop Shirley and be “friends” with Kathleen||
Ch 29 ||Ohhh I so identify with looking back at your childhood and wondering if that insistence on playing boy parts was significant. As an enby, I feel seen||
little kraken
Finished. The last part of this book went by so quickly! ||I really liked how quickly Lily became comfortable with her identity and Cat, although I def loved her panic when she realized everyone knew she was gay and her feelings for Cathleen, and Cath’s reciprocated feelings for her. I thought it was interesting how the author chose to highlight the unfairness of lesbians having to hide while straight couples could be together anywhere. It even seemed like Shirley’s affair wasn’t as big of a deal as Lily going to a gay club.
The author’s note was really interesting and I appreciate all of the history that went into this book. It’s not something I would have picked up myself, so I’m glad for the br!||
placid dome
I start this 
lucid gorge
You're reading Last Night at the Telegraph Club twice?
little kraken
Oops
little kraken
Wrong chat
crystal blade
Dnfed it because it was too slow for me and I need something with a quicker pace
lucid gorge
Started this! Chapter 2 ||The ending line made me relate to a surge of complicated feelings that I haven't been able to describe in words.||
pure questBOT
@lucid gorge,@brazen wraith,@placid dome,@blazing vortex,@unique tangle,@hardy lion,@sullen wyvern,@little kraken,@iron rune,@visual ermine,@still anchor,@fickle quest
Just a friendly reminder that the reading period ends in about two days! I hope you all enjoy the book.
little kraken
Thanks for hosting shar!
lucid gorge
Chapter 3 ||Based on her mother's reaction, being a tomboy in Chinese culture wasn't acceptable at the time.||
iron rune
I don't think I'm going to make it for this one. Sorry, Shar! But thank you so much for hosting! ❤️
placid dome
Done! I yap tomorrow 
placid dome
This is one of those rare occasions where I had actually heard a little bit about this book beforehand on BookTok/BookTube of all places. It was a bit fleeting mind you, lots of recommendations in a general kind of sense, lots of lists of "best reads of [insert year here]" so when I saw this Buddy Read I took it as a sign to finally get it off my TBR and figure out what the fuss is about.
||And I'm totally glad I did that. This is a totally unique book that is full to the brim with research, representation and respect. I mean, A historical fiction set in the 1950s with a focus on lesbian and Chinese American culture? This is cool as fuck. I'd be lying if I said that this was something I would typically seek out but I would have really missed out on something special if I did. There was a wonderful afterword from the author that went into detail about both her inspiration for the novel alongside much of the side-by-side comparisons she made to real life figures in San Franscisco's queer scene in the 50s alongside the culture surrounding immigrants from China. The Telegraph Club is loosely based on Maud's, which I admittedly fell into a bit of a rabbithole reading about and I plan to watch this documentary at some point. 
||
||It was so fascinating getting to read about history that has largely been left unexplored or supressed and the intersection of being Chinese-American in the USA at the time of the Red Scare, as well as a young woman interested in STEM and a lesbian exploring the lesbian bar scene. It feels like a lot but the characterization really sells how well all of this information is given to the reader. There’s such a gentle quality running throughout this that you see through the characters, it’s deeply affecting and relentlessly heart-warming despite the awful things that happen leaving a surprisingly potent coming-of-age story. I really enjoyed Lily as a character and reading from her perspective. She was really easy to empathise with, understand and feel for in every sense of the word. Her relationships with her friends, family and Kath were very realistic and interesting, including her semi-toxic relationship with her best friend. I loved the journey she went on as she realised this new part of her identity and what that would mean for her; her curiosity, self-reliance and passion made her such a welcome main character to follow. ||
||The setting is absolutely stunning - the amount of care taken to craft this is worth so much praise. The combination of the setting itself and how Malinda Lo writes? It's so easy to picture and so flavourful - the beautiful cover of this book is given complete justice in how things are portrayed in the novel itself.||
||I think if I had to critique some aspects - while the writing itself was very good, the setting and historical details, etc. I didn't really feel too shocked at how the plot played out? A lot of it was fairly paint-by-numbers at the heart of it. I knew that Tommy was going to make a strange move on Lily. I knew that eventually Shirley would find out about it all and be both jealous and prejudice. I knew that eventually Lily's family would find out and the aunt would move her away. BUT there was enough detailing to keep me more than interested. Weirdly while I loved Kath and Lily's relationship, how it blossomed and the nuance to them finding each other in a time that disdains the idea of it - Kath herself is a little bit flat to me? It's not a massive critique but I felt like outside of her wanting to be a pilot and her connections to the underground queer clubs, I didn't really know a lot about her. ||
This was a well-earned 4 ⭐ for me and I'm really happy I decided to get to it thanks to this BR 
Here's a picture of some of Maud's patrons!
https://sfbaytimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/NEW-BT-6.23-all_Page_08_Image_0002.jpg
lucid gorge
I'm attempting to read 54% of the book by the end of today. Wish me luck!
lucid gorge
Chapter 7 ||This was so simple yet wholesome. My favourite chapter so far.||
lucid gorge
Chapter 8 ||Well, that was adorable.||
lucid gorge
Chapter 9 ||I was not expecting the FBI to be mentioned in this romance but I guess it makes since considering the book is set in Chinatown 1950's.||
lucid gorge
Chapter 20 ||I have this sinking premonition that Lily's parents will find out she snuck out and that Lily would tell the truth of where she went or at least who she met up with.||
lucid gorge
Reading update: I won't be able to finish reading in less than 4 hours but I assure you, those who have finished and given their thoughts will be given points!
placid dome
Reading update: I won't be able to finish reading in less than 4 hours but I ass...
You could always delay for a day or two to finish up!
lucid gorge
<:blobhuglove:621436440605098004> You could always delay for a day or two to fin...
Oh, I didn't know I could do that! Thank you for telling me.
lucid gorge
Chapter 32 ||Whew, what a chapter! That was intense and lovely.||
lucid gorge
Let’s begin our buddy read with some questions you can answer right at the start...
lucid gorge
judy, twenty two months earlier:
||OH TO BE CALLED HIS MOON LADY||
Uncle Francis definitely swooned me and Aunt Judy over with that line.
lucid gorge
Chapter 33 ||I found the development of Kath and Lily kissing to be quite rushed. There didn't seem to be any signals from Kath that she was interested in Lily other than calling her attractive enough to run for Miss Chinatown. I guess having a crush on the same sex could be something unexpected and emotional.||
placid dome
Chapter 33 ||I found the development of Kath and Lily kissing to be quite rushed...
||Yeah... It's a shame because the book itself has a lot of amazing detail but this part just feels a little rushed. 
There's not a ton of underlying chemistry between them, I don't dislike their relationship but it does come to a head quite quickly.||
lucid gorge
||Yeah... It's a shame because the book itself has a lot of amazing detail but t...
I completely agree with you. ||There wasn't enough time or interactions to signal that they both liked each other in a romantic way. I was getting a ton of friendship signals.||
lucid gorge
Chapter 39 ||That was a slap in the face. I can imagine Lily is having some sort of panic attack.||
lucid gorge
Chapter 40 ||That could've gone worse but it was still bad.||
lucid gorge
Finished reading: ||I got to say I'm disappointed but the ending is realistic enough.||
lucid gorge
Last Night at the Telegraph Club
My review: 3.70 out of 5, an average read
||Compelling prose, gentle characters, and heartwarming moments. Relatable but distant in lone sexuality. Straightforward and insisting depiction of minorities. Well-researched foundation that thoughtfully pertains history. Love interest isn't fully fleshed out to grant a romantic reciprocation. Slow start alongside a tense ending results in not having enough time to reach a satisfying resolution. Irrelevant but satisfying switches in point of view. Inspires desires from within that aren't limited by the constraints of time. Recommended for seekers of truth that are adamant in trust.||
"... she could feel it in her bones: a hot and restless urge to look—and, by looking, to know."
placid dome
Last Night at the Telegraph Club
My review: **3.70 out of 5, an average read**
|...
Love this review! Agree with all of it! 
placid dome
Thanks so much for hosting this, it was on my TBR for a hot second
