The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-03-26 13:19:24
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Lisa See
- ISBN：1501154834
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
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。
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 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 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。
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 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 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。
Reviews
Kelly
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I generally liked this book。 I wasn’t sure I would at the beginning。 It is so sad and heartbreaking。 I about lost it when the twins are considered rejects。 Then when Li-yan takes the baby to the orphanage I thought the book couldn’t get any worse。 It gets better。 Stick with it。 The story is sweet。 I figured from the beginning that mom and Hailey would eventually find each other。 Watching their stories come together was my favorite part。 Sweet story。 Recommend it。
Diana Sung
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See is a remarkable storyteller。 A bit of a fantasy in some ways， but really intriguing characters。 Now I want to drink puer。
Kimberly Parsons
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4。5/5 Great character development and very interesting culture in the story。 Really enjoyed this one！
Megan
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What an amazing story！！
Jackie
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A story of hope， connecting to one’s roots， and love of all types， The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane has its foundation in sorrow and loss。 Li-yan is intrigued by the lure of education even as her family obligations to the Akha people are steeped in tradition， lore， and age-old superstitions。 When Li-yan finds herself unmarried and pregnant， the custom insists that the ‘human-reject’ must not live。 Instead， she brings her to the city， leaves newborn daughter on a doorstop in hopes of being taken A story of hope， connecting to one’s roots， and love of all types， The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane has its foundation in sorrow and loss。 Li-yan is intrigued by the lure of education even as her family obligations to the Akha people are steeped in tradition， lore， and age-old superstitions。 When Li-yan finds herself unmarried and pregnant， the custom insists that the ‘human-reject’ must not live。 Instead， she brings her to the city， leaves newborn daughter on a doorstop in hopes of being taken into the orphanage。 Wrapped only in blankets with her family’s precious tea cake inside， this tiny baby’s life hangs in the balance。 Soon， she is adopted by American parents and goes ‘home’ to California。 Li-yan’s life changes in many ways。。。both good and bad， but through it all， she never forgets about her daughter。。。。as her daughter longs to meet her ‘real’ mother。 Through a series of interconnected coincidences， life has a way of testing our fate。 An uneasy and vague ending makes Li-yan’s story unsettling。 However， the historical， cultural， and painstaking process to cultivate tea make this story interesting， along with the heartbreaking， all-too-familiar tale of Chinese daughters abandoned in want of a son。 。。。more
Hannah
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I give this a solid four stars。 It was very well written and I really enjoyed the twists and turns of the story。 I also feel like I got an education in tea！ There were some very difficult things to read about。 One scene made me physically sick。 I can understand why people would put it down after that chapter and not pick it up again。 It was very interesting to read about a culture and worldview so different from my own。
Carol Scheherazade
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Loved loved loved （although the beginning dragged a bit）
Tobey
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I read this for a book club I help with and it’s the first time I’ve read a Lisa See book。 I’m not a huge fan of fiction， but this was a great story and when it ended， I was sad。 I want more。
Pat
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I love when a book teaches me about something I had no idea about。 Pu'er tea， very interesting and explained so well by this wonderful author。 Not the first time she has taken me on a journey inside China。 I love when a book teaches me about something I had no idea about。 Pu'er tea， very interesting and explained so well by this wonderful author。 Not the first time she has taken me on a journey inside China。 。。。more
Aśku
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Historia imho bez polotu。 Nie trzyma w napięciu， nie oferuje żadnej ciekawej akcji i jest do bólu wręcz przewidywalna。 Bardzo męczył mnie też język。 Mamy tu narrację pierwszoosobową， więc autorka chciała zapewne odwzorować sposób myślenia i przetwarzania świata przez bohaterkę， natomiast czyta się to co najmniej średnio。 Poza tym， przez pierwsze pół książki， grzebiąc bohaterce w głowie， miałem ochotę udusić ją gołymi rękoma。 Kto czytał， ten wie， że momentami jest。。。 dobijająca。To， co należy doce Historia imho bez polotu。 Nie trzyma w napięciu， nie oferuje żadnej ciekawej akcji i jest do bólu wręcz przewidywalna。 Bardzo męczył mnie też język。 Mamy tu narrację pierwszoosobową， więc autorka chciała zapewne odwzorować sposób myślenia i przetwarzania świata przez bohaterkę， natomiast czyta się to co najmniej średnio。 Poza tym， przez pierwsze pół książki， grzebiąc bohaterce w głowie， miałem ochotę udusić ją gołymi rękoma。 Kto czytał， ten wie， że momentami jest。。。 dobijająca。To， co należy docenić， to z pewnością doskonały research。 Dostaliśmy w książce bardzo drobiazgowe informacje na temat pu-erhu - herbaty， wokół której toczy się akcja， ale przede wszystkim niesamowite studium obyczajów i tradycji ludu Akha。 Za to należy się szczególne uznanie 。。。more
Wendy Castillo
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Open EndingThis is a great story。 Intriguing in it's historical perspective and the characters though fiction seem more human than some people I've met my lifetime。 A very engaging piece of literature which is why I'm a bit baffled by the ending。 It was so abrupt。 As similar to having a door slammed in your face。 There are a great deal of unanswered questions。 If it weren't for the door slam， I would have given it a five star rating。 I will change the rating if there's a sequel just as well writ Open EndingThis is a great story。 Intriguing in it's historical perspective and the characters though fiction seem more human than some people I've met my lifetime。 A very engaging piece of literature which is why I'm a bit baffled by the ending。 It was so abrupt。 As similar to having a door slammed in your face。 There are a great deal of unanswered questions。 If it weren't for the door slam， I would have given it a five star rating。 I will change the rating if there's a sequel just as well written and engaging。 。。。more
Toni Miranda
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I love a book that has a great story line and teaches me new information at the same time。 I loved learning about the ethic minorities of China and how much their lives have changed in the last century。 It was fun to learn about the tea making process too。 But now I want to know the rest of the story！
Donita Stewart
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If you like learning about different cultures this is a great book for you。 It painted an emotional as well as visual picture。 It also opened my eyes into the yin/yang of cross cultural adoption。 All adoptions are fraught with mixed emotions but these seem to be especially difficult for the kids。 I thought I loved tea but I know nothing about tea and have literally been drinking colored water。 Am inspired to learn more and taste more。
Liz
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Stunningly beautiful！ I loved every single moment of it。
Dawn Lennon
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I was disappointed by this book because I loved Snow Flower and the Secret Fan。 I could have given this novel a 3 since I liked the first half and then things went south for me。 I learned a great deal about life in the hills of China during modern times （late 1900s） when people lived primitively， following beliefs and customs that were startling， especially for the times。 I learned a great deal about the growing， harvesting， curing， and selling tea that was fascinating。 The family See portrayed I was disappointed by this book because I loved Snow Flower and the Secret Fan。 I could have given this novel a 3 since I liked the first half and then things went south for me。 I learned a great deal about life in the hills of China during modern times （late 1900s） when people lived primitively， following beliefs and customs that were startling， especially for the times。 I learned a great deal about the growing， harvesting， curing， and selling tea that was fascinating。 The family See portrayed was also fascinating as was the story line about the central figure， a woman who was exceptional when girls were considered nothing。 Her tale of hardship was jarring。Then things changed。 Suddenly， there were several subplots that distorted the flow of the book。 The central woman character became even more exceptional， now away from her primitive life after not too many years。 The tone of the book changed。 The pace changed。 See attempted to create a profile of other characters that started to shift the focus and voice of the book， adding virtual lectures about the science of tea， until at the end， the voice of the central woman and a girl living in America sounded the same。 The end was touching but a lot of deus ex machina， too much for what would have seemed plausible for me。 I have kept some of my description here vague so as not to be a spoiler。 But it seemed that See felt the need to cover too many serious and important themes about life for the Chinese tea farmers and the life of displaced Chinese in America。 I would have liked this coverage either in a more extended novel here or in another， perhaps a sequel， in which the people and the circumstances were developed in a deeper way。 。。。more
Stacey
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Even though the ending was somewhat predictable， I was entranced through this whole story。 Learning about the traditions and culture of the Akah people was so fascinating。 Li-yan‘s journey was so beautifully told。
Lynee
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I have loved every one of Lisa See's books I've read so far， but this one has probably been my favorite， probably because so many people in my hometown adopted children from China。 I enjoyed hearing the mother's side of the story， and learning more about the tea industry because I love tea， too。 I have loved every one of Lisa See's books I've read so far， but this one has probably been my favorite， probably because so many people in my hometown adopted children from China。 I enjoyed hearing the mother's side of the story， and learning more about the tea industry because I love tea， too。 。。。more
Paula Dougherty
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One of my favorite writers！！ Character development is wonderful - I feel such a better understanding of the characters， environment and historical elements。 Such a elegant and eloquent read！
Adam Morrison
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They really got me。
Marita Werner
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Loved the first part of the book which described the customs of a minority group in the mountains where tea is grown in China。 It developed into a long involved story that was good， but the first part was the best。
Michelle Zimmerman
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Read as an audio book。 It was a tough read until around 30% point。 After that， I couldn’t put it down。 I learned so much about Chinese culture。 Be careful， you may want to serve tea at book club after reading this book！
Nancy
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Lisa See is an excellent writer！！！ If I can SEE the scene， I’m all in！ Great story！！！
Mel Luna
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The author forces a lot of information about tea onto the reader in a way that feels stiff and formulaic。 Once I accepted that aspect I was able to get swept into the story。 See's characters are always very endearing and she definitely squeezed a few tears out of me by the very satisfying ending。 The author forces a lot of information about tea onto the reader in a way that feels stiff and formulaic。 Once I accepted that aspect I was able to get swept into the story。 See's characters are always very endearing and she definitely squeezed a few tears out of me by the very satisfying ending。 。。。more
Veronica
，
This book was absolutely amazing。 Girl， or Li-yan is an Akha tribe member living on Nannuo mountain in rural China。 She helps her family grow， pick， and sell tea。 This story is set in the 1990s， so it was interesting to read about the life of a somewhat current family living in such old-fashioned ways。 Girl goes through adolescence， school， and dating in the book and becomes pregnant out of wed-lock， an absolute NO in Akha traditions。 This story was so beautifully written。 It follows Girl’s life This book was absolutely amazing。 Girl， or Li-yan is an Akha tribe member living on Nannuo mountain in rural China。 She helps her family grow， pick， and sell tea。 This story is set in the 1990s， so it was interesting to read about the life of a somewhat current family living in such old-fashioned ways。 Girl goes through adolescence， school， and dating in the book and becomes pregnant out of wed-lock， an absolute NO in Akha traditions。 This story was so beautifully written。 It follows Girl’s life through ups and downs， poverty to freedom and beyond。 Breathtaking and beautiful。 I absolutely loved this book。 。。。more
Kara Sorensen
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I love reading Lisa See’s novels because of her ability to immerse me so completely in an unfamiliar culture and society。 This one took me a while to get into， but once I was about a third of the way through， I couldn’t put it down。This was a fascinating look into rural tea villages and the rituals and beliefs that sustained their cultural identity。 As the story progresses， you see how the Cultural Revolution changes the lives of those in the rural areas and how it might have affected a whole ge I love reading Lisa See’s novels because of her ability to immerse me so completely in an unfamiliar culture and society。 This one took me a while to get into， but once I was about a third of the way through， I couldn’t put it down。This was a fascinating look into rural tea villages and the rituals and beliefs that sustained their cultural identity。 As the story progresses， you see how the Cultural Revolution changes the lives of those in the rural areas and how it might have affected a whole generation of children adopted out of China and living in other countries。 I dare you to read this book and not order a whole bunch of Pu’erh tea！ 。。。more
Darcy Lewis
，
What a great read！ As with many dual-narrative stories， I strongly preferred the "older" story。 The book wrapped up far too neatly for my liking。 Lisa See's acknowledgments talk about the extensive coincidences in how this book came to be， which is a fun insight and somehow more compelling when they're from real-life， not as plot or thematic elements。 Be sure to read Lisa See's additional notes here on Goodreads when you've finished the book。 What a great read！ As with many dual-narrative stories， I strongly preferred the "older" story。 The book wrapped up far too neatly for my liking。 Lisa See's acknowledgments talk about the extensive coincidences in how this book came to be， which is a fun insight and somehow more compelling when they're from real-life， not as plot or thematic elements。 Be sure to read Lisa See's additional notes here on Goodreads when you've finished the book。 。。。more
Rachel Leigh
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I may add to this review at a later date， but for now I’m just scribbling down my thoughts as of finishing this novel。 Lisa See always has incredible storytelling presence in her novels。 This will mark the third novel of hers that I’ve read specifically for my work’s book club， but I always choose her novels because I know they’re going to be good （Shanghai Girls is next on my list， once I read a lighthearted book or two to detox）。 One thing I’ve come to learn about See’s work is that you always I may add to this review at a later date， but for now I’m just scribbling down my thoughts as of finishing this novel。 Lisa See always has incredible storytelling presence in her novels。 This will mark the third novel of hers that I’ve read specifically for my work’s book club， but I always choose her novels because I know they’re going to be good （Shanghai Girls is next on my list， once I read a lighthearted book or two to detox）。 One thing I’ve come to learn about See’s work is that you always want to have a detox available。 She writes beautifully， but her books always deal with incredibly heavy topics， and Tea Girl was no exception， though it was markedly different trauma than Sea Women and Snow Flower。 Our main story follow Li-yan， or Girl， as her family calls her throughout most of her life， as she struggles with the balance of her cultural minority traditions in a country that’s largely prejudice against her people and finds her beliefs to be ‘tu’， or as I understood the vague implication， sort of ‘country bumpkinish’。 But See， as always， gives us such a through， lush dive on the Akha culture that you can’t help but feel like， at least for the duration of the book， you’re part of it。 You breathe the life of the scenery of this novel。 You breathe the life of the tea Li-yan makes。 You feel sorrow when she does and joy when she does。 It’s incredibly emotional， but a worthy journey to take。 Now， some of my nitpicky things， because I’m not me if I don’t nitpick。 In the 3 novels See has written， some similar patterns emerge。 The breaking of relationships between childhood friends。 The betrayal and guilt women carry for things that are not always their faults。 I think at one point when Haley （or， Yan-yeh） started looking actively for her birth mother， I said that I would put good money on the connection point between them being Mr。 Huang’s son （and I was correct）。 However， these things don’t take away from my enjoyment of the novel， they just take away a bit of the surprise。 Overall， Island of Sea Women is my favorite novel of See’s， but I loved this book， and I don’t even like tea。 。。。more
Karen
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Love this book and the connection of tea to health。。。
Victoria Tang
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From the beginning， I fell in love with the story and loved it to the very end。 It's been so long since I've felt so emotionally invested in a book。 Words can't describe my feelings enough。 Of course， I was biased from the get-go: a book about tea！！！ And China and nature and ethnic minorities and family and immigration。。。sigh。 From the beginning， I fell in love with the story and loved it to the very end。 It's been so long since I've felt so emotionally invested in a book。 Words can't describe my feelings enough。 Of course， I was biased from the get-go: a book about tea！！！ And China and nature and ethnic minorities and family and immigration。。。sigh。 。。。more
Madelyn
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