The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane
A Novel
Book - 2017
"A thrilling new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa See explores the lives of a Chinese mother and her daughter who has been adopted by an American couple. Li-yan and her family align their lives around the seasons and the farming of tea. There is ritual and routine, and it has been ever thus for generations. Then one day a jeep appears at the village gate--the first automobile any of them have seen--and a stranger arrives. In this remote Yunnan village, the stranger finds the rare tea he has been seeking and a reticent Akha people. In her biggest seller, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, See introduced the Yao people to her readers. Here she shares the customs of another Chinese ethnic minority, the Akha, whose world will soon change. Li-yan, one of the few educated girls on her mountain, translates for the stranger and is among the first to reject the rules that have shaped her existence. When she has a baby outside of wedlock, rather than stand by tradition, she wraps her daughter in a blanket, with a tea cake hidden in her swaddling, and abandons her in the nearest city. After mother and daughter have gone their separate ways, Li-yan slowly emerges from the security and insularity of her village to encounter modern life while Haley grows up a privileged and well-loved California girl. Despite Haley's happy home life, she wonders about her origins; and Li-yan longs for her lost daughter. They both search for and find answers in the tea that has shaped their family's destiny for generations. A powerful story about a family, separated by circumstances, culture, and distance, Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane paints an unforgettable portrait of a little known region and its people and celebrates the bond that connects mothers and daughters"-- Provided by publisher.
"A thrilling new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa See explores the lives of a Chinese mother and her daughter who has been adopted by an American couple"-- Provided by publisher.
"A thrilling new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa See explores the lives of a Chinese mother and her daughter who has been adopted by an American couple"-- Provided by publisher.
Publisher:
New York :, Scribner,, 2017
Edition:
First Scribner edition
ISBN:
9781501154829
1501154826
9781501154836
1501154834
1501154826
9781501154836
1501154834
Characteristics:
ix, 371 pages ; 24 cm


Opinion
From Library Staff
July 2018 "Explores the lives of a Chinese mother and her daughter, who has been adopted by an American couple, tracing the very different cultural factors that compel them to consume a rare native tea that has shaped their family's destiny for generations."
From the critics

Comment
Add a CommentI loved this book. It was very interesting and I learned a lot about Chinese culture and customs. Very well written. I will keep reading works of Lisa See.
I read this book to fulfill the goal read a book by a woc (woman of color) I enjoyed it very much. I was super surprised at the ending though and would have loved if it could have continued on a little further.
I love how Lisa See writes - so detailed - and so real.
I love the way a good book can transport you to another time and to another place, somewhere so exotic that you know you will never travel in your lifetime, and make it so alive and so real and immerse you completely. This book did that for me. Loved it.
The first half of the book was so fabulous it took my breath away! The second half was so boring I could barely skim through it. Disappointed.
January 2021
The book was rich and interesting in history and detail but I thought the stolid writing was not up to her usual standards and read like a high brow romance novel.
Tea & Talk Book Club / August 2018
Costco
I listened to the audio version over 2 years ago. Anyone who enjoyed Memiors of a Geisha would probably enjoy this book. I like the rich culture, though harsh at times. This is a book I would enjoy re-reading. I thought is was very well written, and the narration well done.