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The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane A Novel edition by Lisa See Literature Fiction eBooks

Download As PDF : The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane A Novel edition by Lisa See Literature Fiction eBooks

The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane A Novel edition by Lisa See Literature Fiction eBooks

The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane follows the life of Li-yan, a member of the Akha hill tribe whose way of life is still tied to the land. Growing up picking tea leaves each season with her family and living without electricity or running water in a hut made on bamboo stilts, Li-yan’s life is a far cry from the modern world of the late 1980’s. Set to follow in her mother’s path as a midwife, Li-yan struggles to accept her path and works hard in school hoping to be the first in her village to qualify for upper level schooling that would open up other possibilities. Fate however intervenes through two different men destined to change her life, one through love, the other through the business of tea, helping her village join the modern world. Years later, across the globe, a young Chinese girl adopted by Americans wonders at her roots and the special tea cake that was wrapped in her blankets when she was left at the orphanage. Who was her mother and what is the significance of this tea cake?

Full disclaimer, I am a huge fan of Lisa See’s works so I was inclined to like this book from the start, however I can truly say this is my favorite of all her books so far. See seems to flex her writing muscles in the vivid descriptions of the lush environment of the Akha tribe, its dangers and simpler way of life. The reader is fully immersed in the beauty and culture of Li-yan’s world, experiencing her inner turmoil fighting her lot in life and then the culture shock she experiences later in the city. As with all of See’s stories, there is a bittersweet quality to Li-yan’s story and the highs are magnified and all the more precious because of the lows. I enjoyed the surprising treat of a love story that developed from this and the way the characters bonded through their losses. See writes with a depth of character and setting that allows the reader to truly inhabit the story and, like the huigan or returning flavor of the teas in this book, the story is one to be savored long after it ends.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this story from the publisher on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.


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The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane A Novel edition by Lisa See Literature Fiction eBooks Reviews

This is See's best book yet. Brilliantly researched. How she manages to make a book basically
about ten and the people who grow it interesting is a miracle. The characters are alive, real and
worth investing in. I really liked this book a lot
This novel does what no other book I have read does It is 75 percent (or so) fiction and 25 percent (or so) nonfiction. And it works! The story focuses on a Li-yan, a young Chinese woman from the minority Akha tribe in the mountains of Yunnan Province. She violates the Akha cultural taboos in several significant ways, including having a baby before she is married and then later marrying the baby's father of whom her family disapproves. But it is too late. Li-yan had to give up her daughter for adoption. Will she ever find her?

But in addition to a haunting and riveting story that is grounded in solid character development, this book is packed with fascinating information about the history of tea and teamaking in China—and will no doubt make you crave a cup of hot tea.

This is not always an easy book to read. Parts of the story are absolutely horrific to our Western ideas of what is right and wrong. But every piece of it is important and contributes to the story. Bonus The ending is really good!

Author Lisa See magnificently captures the angst, anger and emotional churning of a mother who feels forced to give up a child for adoption, as well as the feelings of angst, anger and emotional churning endured by the child who always wonders about her birth parents. It is gripping and endearing…and one you will remember long after it ends.
Lisa See's novel was a fast read because I was rooting for the happiness of the main character, Li-Yan, raised in a ritualistic, indigenous culture that becomes both a hindrance and a blessing. A compelling story of a mother and her infant daughter separated by cultural necessity, "The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane" spans the polar worlds of the Akha, one of China's ethnic minorities who work the tea plantations in the Yunnan Province of China, and the newly rich, jet-setting Chinese entrepreneurs, living in California's upscale San Gabriel Valley. The plot is predictable -given the quotation at the beginning of the novel about coincidence and storytelling -but still engaging and at times riveting.

As a bonus, I learned about the highly profitable tea and coffee industries in China, Chinese history after the Cultural Revolution, the plight of ethnic minorities in China, and the explosion of Chinese billionaires. I am not a tea drinker, but I sure wanted to pour a cup of Pu'er and sip it as I read this fascinating tale of the strength of a mother-daughter bond. The little tea leaf does not fall far from the ancient mother tree.
Lisa See is an Amazing story teller. This book is well researched and extremely enjoyable. I have a daughter adopted from the Kunming Welfare Institute, Yunnan Province, China. She was born in October 1994 and we adopted her in May of 1995 about the same time and setting as this book. Our daughter is thought to be of one of the minority groups so I found the book extremely interesting.

The book shed light on the lives of the Akha people, a minority group living in Yunnan Province in Southwestern China. In 1995 they lived in thatch type homes without electricity or running water. There were few motorized vehicles in their remote area. They scraped out a living picking and selling tea leaves. The story delves into the effect that superstition and China's One Child Policy had on the lives of the Akha tribe and the country of China as a whole. It follows the path of a young Akha girl and her struggle for existence. I will not say more because this is a book you must read to appreciate.

Thank you Lisa for giving us the gift of this wonderful book!
The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane follows the life of Li-yan, a member of the Akha hill tribe whose way of life is still tied to the land. Growing up picking tea leaves each season with her family and living without electricity or running water in a hut made on bamboo stilts, Li-yan’s life is a far cry from the modern world of the late 1980’s. Set to follow in her mother’s path as a midwife, Li-yan struggles to accept her path and works hard in school hoping to be the first in her village to qualify for upper level schooling that would open up other possibilities. Fate however intervenes through two different men destined to change her life, one through love, the other through the business of tea, helping her village join the modern world. Years later, across the globe, a young Chinese girl adopted by Americans wonders at her roots and the special tea cake that was wrapped in her blankets when she was left at the orphanage. Who was her mother and what is the significance of this tea cake?

Full disclaimer, I am a huge fan of Lisa See’s works so I was inclined to like this book from the start, however I can truly say this is my favorite of all her books so far. See seems to flex her writing muscles in the vivid descriptions of the lush environment of the Akha tribe, its dangers and simpler way of life. The reader is fully immersed in the beauty and culture of Li-yan’s world, experiencing her inner turmoil fighting her lot in life and then the culture shock she experiences later in the city. As with all of See’s stories, there is a bittersweet quality to Li-yan’s story and the highs are magnified and all the more precious because of the lows. I enjoyed the surprising treat of a love story that developed from this and the way the characters bonded through their losses. See writes with a depth of character and setting that allows the reader to truly inhabit the story and, like the huigan or returning flavor of the teas in this book, the story is one to be savored long after it ends.

Disclaimer I received an ARC of this story from the publisher on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.