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Quick answer: If you loved Last Night at the Telegraph Club, try The Price of Salt, Fingersmith, Tipping the Velvet, Annie on My Mind, Fun Home and Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. They tell LGBTQ+ love stories across the 20th century with honesty and heart.
Malinda Lo's National Book Award winner follows Lily Hu, a Chinese American teen in 1954 San Francisco, who discovers a lesbian bar called the Telegraph Club while Cold War fear grows around her family. It blends romance, history and community. These 15 books offer more LGBTQ+ historical fiction, classic queer novels and memoirs that capture the same courage.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Price of Salt (Carol) | Patricia Highsmith | Adult | readers who want the 1950s classic |
| Fingersmith | Sarah Waters | Adult | readers who like twisty historical fiction |
| Tipping the Velvet | Sarah Waters | Adult | readers who want a long, rich story |
| Annie on My Mind | Nancy Garden | 13+ | readers who want a YA classic |
| Rubyfruit Jungle | Rita Mae Brown | Adult | readers who want an early classic |
| Zami: A New Spelling of My Name | Audre Lorde | Adult | readers who like memoir |
| Stone Butch Blues | Leslie Feinberg | Adult | readers who want history |
| Fun Home | Alison Bechdel | Adult | graphic memoir fans |
| Giovanni's Room | James Baldwin | Adult | readers who want literary fiction |
| Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe | Benjamin Alire Sáenz | 14+ | readers who like slow romance |
| Juliet Takes a Breath | Gabby Rivera | 14+ | readers who like fresh voices |
| The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo | Taylor Jenkins Reid | Adult | readers who like glamour and heartbreak |
| Ash | Malinda Lo | 14+ | readers who like fairy-tale retellings |
| Girls of Paper and Fire | Natasha Ngan | 14+ | readers who like fantasy |
| A Line in the Dark | Malinda Lo | 14+ | readers who want more by Lo |
1. The Price of Salt (Carol) by Patricia Highsmith
Therese, a young shopgirl in New York, falls in love with an older woman, Carol. Written in 1952, with a rare happy ending.
Best for: readers who want the 1950s classic.
2. Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
Two women in Victorian England are caught up in a con. Full of twists and a romance.
Best for: readers who like twisty historical fiction.
3. Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters
Nan falls in love with a male impersonator in Victorian music halls. Lively and sexy.
Best for: readers who want a long, rich story.
4. Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden
Liza and Annie meet at a museum in New York and fall in love. A landmark 1982 YA novel.
Best for: readers who want a YA classic.
5. Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown
Molly Bolt grows up poor and sure of herself. A funny, bold 1973 novel.
Best for: readers who want an early classic.
6. Zami: A New Spelling of My Name by Audre Lorde
Lorde calls her memoir a “biomythography” about growing up in Harlem and finding community. Poetic and beautiful.
Best for: readers who like memoir.
7. Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg
Jess Goldberg grows up in working-class America in the 1950s and fights for identity. A classic of queer working-class life.
Best for: readers who want history.
8. Fun Home by Alison Bechdel
A graphic memoir of Bechdel's childhood and her father. Witty, sad and brilliant.
Best for: graphic memoir fans.
9. Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin
David, an American in Paris, struggles with his love for an Italian bartender. A short, beautiful classic.
Best for: readers who want literary fiction.
10. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Two Mexican American teens in 1980s El Paso become friends. Gentle and thoughtful.
Best for: readers who like slow romance.
11. Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera
Juliet, a Puerto Rican teen from the Bronx, goes to Portland for an internship. Joyful and bold.
Best for: readers who like fresh voices.
12. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
A Hollywood legend tells the story of her glamorous life and her great love. Emotional and entertaining.
Best for: readers who like glamour and heartbreak.
13. Ash by Malinda Lo
A retelling of Cinderella in which Ash falls for the King's Huntress. Lyrical and dreamy.
Best for: readers who like fairy-tale retellings.
14. Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan
Lei, a girl from a poor village, is chosen as a “Paper Girl” for the king. A fantasy romance with a love story between two girls.
Best for: readers who like fantasy.
15. A Line in the Dark by Malinda Lo
Jess and her best friend Angie face a murder mystery in a quiet town. A dark thriller by the same author.
Best for: readers who want more by Lo.
How to Choose
For historical romance, start with The Price of Salt and Fingersmith. For YA classics, read Annie on My Mind or Aristotle and Dante. For memoir, try Fun Home or Zami. For fantasy, choose Ash or Girls of Paper and Fire. Some of these books depict homophobia and violence from the periods they portray.
Related: The Night Circus Book Club Discussion Questions (With Summary and Themes) · The Last Thing He Told Me Book Club Discussion Questions (With Summary and Themes)
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Last Night at the Telegraph Club based on a true story?
The characters are fictional, but the setting, including Chinatown and the Telegraph Club, is based on real history.
What awards did it win?
It won the 2021 National Book Award for Young People's Literature and a Printz Honor.
Is it appropriate for teens?
Yes, it is YA for ages 14 and up, with mature themes and gentle romance.
Is the Telegraph Club a real place?
The club in the novel is fictional, but it is inspired by real lesbian bars in San Francisco at the time.