Reviews tagging 'Forced institutionalization'

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

53 reviews

rynaissanceenby's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

A thoroughly enjoyable book that imagines a cross-section of identities I had never even really considered. The juxtaposition of the two worlds Lily lives in draws attention to the similarities and differences of different types of bigotry. She can be Chinese American in some places and she can be a lesbian in others, but many places she can't be either and nowhere can she be both. I also love the feminist subplot thrown in and feel for the misogyny that tried so hard to crush the dreams of people like Lily, Kath, and so many other little girls who looked to the stars. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, Lesbophobia, and Outing

Moderate: Sexual content, Alcohol, Classism, and Deportation

Minor: Forced institutionalization

awesome_archaeology's review against another edition

emotional hopeful slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The story moved a bit slow in the beginning but it reaches its end with a grippingly emotional conclusion.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Homophobia, Miscarriage, Racism, Xenophobia, Lesbophobia, and War

Minor: Bullying and Forced institutionalization

ottercorg's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

It always feels strange for me to call a book that wrenches my heart "a delight" but that's what this was. From beginning to end, I delighted in getting to know Lily through the pages and see her grow into herself, no matter the cost. Young love, finding one's identity, taking risks, figuring out who your friends are - it's something we all have to go through, but the circumstances make it all the more difficult for our main character.

I truly love Lo's writing style, especially the callbacks to earlier moments via parentheses between text. It's a simple detail that I just ate up. I admire Lo for her commitment to research in writing this book, and then for sharing her findings after her story ended. I think I'll definitely find myself reading more of her books in the future.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Drug use, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Racism, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Lesbophobia, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, War, and Deportation

adalinemccormick's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, Lesbophobia, and Outing

Moderate: Drug use, Alcohol, and Deportation

Minor: Miscarriage, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, and Police brutality

clarkg's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, Lesbophobia, and Outing

Moderate: Homophobia, Police brutality, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, War, and Deportation

Minor: Drug use, Forced institutionalization, and Sexual harassment

mbzoller's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

This book broke my lil gay heart.

It was not as atmospheric as I anticipated but I feel that it put to story and page how it would be to be other in myriad ways. It was subtle, beautifully written, and painfully blunt at times.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Outing

Minor: Racism, Forced institutionalization, and Abandonment

aysha_blake's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Lesbophobia, Outing, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Deportation

Moderate: Xenophobia, Grief, and War

Minor: Miscarriage, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, and Pregnancy

gilnean's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Lesbophobia, Outing, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation

Moderate: Miscarriage, Blood, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Gore, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, War, and Classism

wrensreadingroom's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Outing, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Deportation

some_random_person_hi's review against another edition

challenging sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

It's an important book due to how it tells the stories of people who previously only existed in the margins of history and gives them a voice but I personally did not enjoy it. It's probably due to how I usually don't read historical/romance, didn't ship the main couple and personally would not make some of the major decisions the main character did. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Alcohol

Moderate: Racism, Grief, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Deportation

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Misogyny, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, and War

Underage drinking & underage smoking. (Not explicitly condemned in text.)