From #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa See, “one of those special writers capable of delivering both poetry and plot” (The New York Times Book Review), a moving novel about tradition, tea farming, and the bonds between mothers and daughters.In their remote mountain village, Li-yan and her family align their lives around the seasons and the farming of tea. For the Akha people, ensconced in … For the Akha people, ensconced in ritual and routine, life goes on as it has for generations—until a stranger appears at the village gate in a jeep, the first automobile any of the villagers has ever seen.
The stranger’s arrival marks the first entrance of the modern world in the lives of the Akha people. Slowly, Li-yan, one of the few educated girls on her mountain, begins to reject the customs that shaped her early life. When she has a baby out of wedlock—conceived with a man her parents consider a poor choice—she rejects the tradition that would compel her to give the child over to be killed, and instead leaves her, wrapped in a blanket with a tea cake tucked in its folds, near an orphanage in a nearby city.
As Li-yan comes into herself, leaving her insular village for an education, a business, and city life, her daughter, Haley, is raised in California by loving adoptive parents. Despite her privileged childhood, Haley wonders about her origins. Across the ocean Li-yan longs for her lost daughter. Over the course of years, each searches for meaning in the study of Pu’er, the tea that has shaped their family’s destiny for centuries.
A powerful story about circumstances, culture, and distance, The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane paints an unforgettable portrait of a little known region and its people and celebrates the bond of family.
more
Lisa See is a spectacular storyteller in “The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane” and I savored the book thoroughly. I love Asian American historical fictions and this book is fabulous on many levels. I learned about the Chinese hill tribe ethnic minorities, their struggles, and the tea history. This is my first book of hers and I will be looking for a proper Tea House in Sacramento to try Pu’er the way it’s supposed to be brewed and served. I also liked one of the quotes, “Those who suffer have earned contentment.” Does this resonate with you?
Wonderfully drawn story of China’s remote villages as well as a rags to riches story that will captivate the reader, hopefully, as it did me.
Loved this book! I enjoy all of Lisa See’s books.
Well written and historically accurate.
Our book club read this. We all enjoyed it and found it super informative as we had no idea what Puer-Tea was. One of our members even ordered some from Amazon so we had a tea tasting along with our meeting. Really good tea, too. I would definitely recommend the book
An interesting and informative story about tea grown and sold in China. Starting in 1988 it is hard to believe that the ritual and routine life of the Akha is as it has been for centuries. Family life too is unlike ours, except for the unbreakable mother-daughter tie of the main characters. Well worth reading!
I read this great new book by Lisa See in 2 sittings. love, love, loved this book
Lisa’s writing makes me feel as tho I’m personally witnessing events/activities
Great story, meticulously researched
Loved being drawn into the culture of the tea growers and their families. I couldn’t put this one down.
Wonderful characters & story with lots of interesting background information about the history of tea & the villages & families that harvested it. Also made me cry at times!
Lisa See is a wonderful author. She keeps you interested until the last page.
Interesting topic and characters. I learned a lot about China and tea making
Hard to put down. Informative on many issues from tea to tribal customs to adoption and more. Very interesting.
Great story.
I love Lisa Lee’s writing style and The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane did not disappoint! Lee presented a very interesting story about the Chinese tea industry and the cultural elements of different factions in China, while weaving a heart wrenching story of two families, one in China and the other in California. Brilliant writing!
This book provided an amazing trip through China and its minority tribes. A heartwarming tale of a mother and daughter separated is woven within. I felt connected to the main character. I also learned a little about the process of tea making, which was fascinating. This was an enjoyable book.
This was a wonderful story, great vibrant characters and a fascinating story line. I loved learning about the Akha people of the Yunnan province in China, a not so known ethnic group. The author described their customs and beliefs so well and really drew me into the main characters and what they went through in this story, from learning how to move forward in areas where their beliefs might not be of importance, or believed, to at look at how the clan needed over time to conform to the outside world to survive, yet keeping what they could of their beliefs. This story is also about adoption, where the main character not seeing a way out of a situation and not wanting harm to come to her child, has to deal with the repercussions of her actions, and that of the life of the daughter she gave up learning to live with love but also with the feeling that in some ways she does not fit in, in her life in the United States. Each of these characters, wondering about and searching for the other.
The story revolves around the tea trade, Pu’er tea in particular, which is grown in the region, where the main character grew up.
I feel like I learned so much about tea, and about the Hill tribes of China. It makes me want to visit the area, and experience it for myself.
The book left me wanting more, yet also feeling maybe it was a good way of ending it.
Thank you NetGalley, for the opportunity of reading this in advance of its publication.