The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane

By Lisa See

Book Overview

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 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.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1501154834
• ISBN13: 9781501154836
• Release Date: April 2018
• Publisher: Scribner Book Company
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.2" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

Wonderful!

Beautifully written, with characters you will root for and love.

Another winner

I enjoy reading Lisa See. This book was no exception to her superb writing of historical fiction. It also peaked my interest in tea. I find it nice to learn when I’m reading for entertainment & Lisa See doesn’t let us down. I know enough about tea to choose a quality one now.

Loved this book!

This book was great and I would definitely recommend. It inadvertently caused me to find a new love for tea.

The Tea Girl Of Hummingbird Lane -- A Must Read

It starts out very difficult to read but if you continue past the first 100 pages, it is well worth it! Learning about the history of China, the cultivation of teas, especially "puer" tea, the ancient customs of various Chinese hill tribes, their modernization while staying true to most of their centuries old traditions, etc., plus the romance and superstitions to the current times make for a fascinating read from cover to cover! Lisa See has once again done an outstanding research to give us a fascinating and educational read! I give it 5 STARS!

A Relatable Story

The story in the Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane combines tradition and the search for acceptance. Under China's radical one-child policy, many girls are abandoned at orphanages unable to properly care for them. Haley's search for her birth mother-and her mother's search for her daughter-make this story a compelling read. Though time and distance threaten to separate them forever, both young women search for each other in a spellbinding twist that will leave you yearning for more.