The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane is excellent! I love how Lisa See includes so much historical, political and cultural detail in her stories and covers subjects that (at least in my experience) aren't commonly known. Here, the story explores the lives of the Akha ethnic minority in the Yunnan province of China during the transformative decades of the 1980s to present, as well as the intersection of traditional and modern techniques for tea growing and processing. At the center of this richly detailed backdrop is the heartbreaking and heartwarming story of Li-yan, a young girl torn between the old ways and modern civilization that is starting to infiltrate her village. The story follows her initial struggles to escape from the limitations she sees of her family's way of life, her quest to forge a new identity in the modern world, and her ultimate reconciliation and acceptance of her cultural heritage and identity. Intertwined with Li-yan's story is that of the baby girl she is forced to give up for adoption and who struggles with her own identity as an adopted Chinese-American searching for her birth mother.

One of the things I love most about Lisa See's stories is that she forces the reader to view cultural practices that seem incomprehensible or "backwards" from the perspective of those who have practiced them for generations. The opening chapters are admittedly challenging, as the strict cultural taboos of the Akha often have (from a Western perspective) disturbing results. However, See does an excellent job of showing the reader the nuances of their culture and counterbalancing it later with the dark side of the modern world, as well.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys tea and wants to learn more about how it's grown and its changing role as a commodity in the global economy. I also recommend it for anyone looking for an emotionally engaging story with a unique setting.

Thank you to Scribner and Netgalley for providing an ARC for review!

Thoroughly researched and incredibly written, The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane tells the story of Li-yan a member of the Akha. Li-yan bucks tradition and makes incredibly hard decisions for herself and the daughter she gives away. Mother and daughter lead full rich lives separately until their lives intersect in the perfect ending to this story.

Atmospheric, evocative, and remarkably researched!

This story is predominantly set in a mountainous village in rural China where the Akha subsist off the tea tree leaves that grace the landscape and are governed by the ancient superstitions, traditions and spirituality passed down from generation to generation.

The prose is descriptive and precise. The characters are genuine, strong, intelligent and hardworking. And the story has two distinct plots; one involving the coming-of-age, independence, perseverance and success of Li-Yan as she bravely follows her aspirations beyond the confines of her home; and the other which details the struggles and difficulties faced by her daughter, Haley, being raised by adoptive parents of a different race, culture and country than that of her ancestry.

I would have to say that although I found the history of tea production and insight into the ethnic minorities of China incredibly fascinating and enjoyable in this novel the ending felt just a little bit rushed. I would definitely have appreciated and welcomed a few more pages dedicated to the climactic mother-daughter reunion at the end.

However, overall this book is well written, engrossing and well worth the read.

Thank you to NetGalley, especially Scribner, for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author and publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I truly enjoyed this book. I have enjoyed some of Lisa See's other books, particularly [book:Snow Flower and the Secret Fan|1103], but haven't read any in quite a while, as I found I didn't enjoy some of her later work as much as Snow Flower. However, this one didn't disappoint at all. I really became immersed in the story and cultural details. I find her writing to flow well, with some beautiful prose. The historical detail in this book was so interesting - a topic I knew nothing about, that I now want to learn more of. It's clear she put a lot of research into the book.

The characters are richly described, and grow believably over time. The perspective of the adopted girl of her life in the US to white parents was an interesting one. I liked how the perspective went back and forth throughout the years of the book, between the mother and daughter.

In the early part of the book, where the culture and rituals of the Akha people are described, there are sections that can be difficult to read (and amazing considering the time frame of the book), but I'm sure the historical detail is accurate, and the book certainly made me think about how different life is in many parts of the world.

The ending may be a little too pat and maybe even far-fetched for some people's taste, but I was happy with it. "No coincidence, no story" was a thread throughout, and I think because of that, the ending was justified. I'm looking forward to learning more about Pu'er and maybe even trying it sometime soon.

Lisa See has done it again! The whole time I was reading this book, I'm thinking to myself "Is this based on a real story or not." That's when you know its a good book, when you can't tell the real from the fake. There was so much depth to the characters and all the superstitions and traditions that the Akha carried. It must have took the author a lot of time in research. I was sucked into a world that felt old and far away, but was in fact set in the current world and was only a plane flight away. Loved this story!

Thank you Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book.

Prepare to transport yourself to remote China - to characters who feel like they lived in the late nineteenth /early twentieth century, even though the story starts in the 1990s. Lisa See brings to life a world in which Spirits and old customs guide a young girl's life until she finally finds the courage to leave and embark on new adventures.

Li-yan is an Akha, an ethnic minority who lives in the Tea Growing region of China (at one point the Akha are compared to the North American Cree). Born to a poor family she is encouraged to attend school and pursue a life outside of the forest. The story Lisa See weaves is page-turning addictive: first love, an unwed mother who must give away her daughter, who then suffers loss, then finds success and a new love. We see the struggle between remaining faithful to her upbringing while also accepting the changes in her life. Well developed characters, wonderful writing (such a clear and authentic Chinese voice) and a story well told.

Except.

For the Haley storyline. Haley is Li-yan's daughter who was abandoned and then adopted by an American couple. I think Lisa See was trying to include the one-child rule in the story (and how strict it was), as well as an awareness of how many baby girls where then adopted out of China in the 1990s. I found that it was the most disjointed part of the book; the parts told by either Haley or her adoptive mother's perspective felt less authentic than the Chinese voice and felt like it broke the story up a little too much. I'm all for a subplot, but I didn't think that this one was necessary - or should have been even more developed.

That said. This is still a 4 star read because it was able to transport me to an entirely foreign place, an unknown culture and people, and was able to make tea growing and selling really interesting.

A recommended read.

Thank you NetGalley and Scribner Publishing, for the amazing novel The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See. An inspiring tale about tradition, family bonds, and destinies changed by single moments. This story takes place during a lifetime of significant changes in China. A girl, growing up in the remote mountains where the ancient tea trees grow. Raised in the Akha ways, with modest beginnings, through China's economic and cultural revolution, she evolves. With a daughter across the ocean, and many surprising events as well as choices along the way, Lisa See certainly does not disappoint! I highly recommend this book.

This is a lovely story about tea, China's minority ethnic groups, their traditions and how the modern world affects them. There is a story about an illegitimate child left for an orphanage and then adopted by US parents.
Some characters who interact:
Akha minority people--A-ba and A-ma, parents to Li-yan. San-pa, Li-yan's boyfriend.
Teacher Zhang, exiled Han majority teacher living with Akha
Mr. Huang, Chinese tea trader.
Two quotes:
"...the spirit gate. Carved figures of a man and woman are mounted on the posts. The woman has huge breasts. The man has a penis as thick as timber bamboo, longer than my entire height, and sticking straight out."
"Guests at the King World Hotel have a peculiar view of value. They refuse to stay in a room if it doesn't have a sit-down toilet. This took me the longest time to accept, because who would want to sit in the same place where someone else's rump has been to do your private business?"
I rate it 4.5 stars, rounded down to 4. Thanks to NetGalley for this book.

I loved this book!! I usually like Lisa See, this time she has gone above my expectations. The history of tea and the life of the hill tribes was riviting. I really love to learn about Asian history and I really wasn't aware of this culture existing. It's a little long and in depth but it felt like the story flew by. This is one to savor!!

I found this book to be a treasure: a compelling story, a strong narrative voice, instructive and deeply engaging. The book is excellent historical fiction: the story of a minority ethnic Chinese woman whose culture revolves around a special tea as well as a strong cultural belief system. The protagonist, Tina or Li-yan is firmly rooted in her culture and her observations are powerful. Her voice rings true, and the story is well crafted--it follows her through her childhood just after the cultural revolution, through her life in a multitude of settings as she comes of age, gives up a child for adoption, marries, becomes educated and ultimately immigrates. She is rooted in her Ahka culture. The other protagonist is her daughter who is adopted by a loving white family in the US, and there is a deep exploration of the issues of bi-cultural adoption--Asian girls who aren't accepted by either their Caucasian or Asian peers. The book is prefaced by an Ahka saying "no coincidence, no story" and the coincidences may stretch credibility a bit, but they in no way undermine the power of the story. I learned so much from this book, and enjoyed every minute of it.

Love all of her books. So engrossing and compelling. You can actually imagine what life might be like (a little) for people in these tribes - and not too long ago. Also made me really intrigued and I've started drinking tea! Highly recommend.

Powerful and beautiful story about mothers and daughters and society. Beautifully written and haunting.

This was an insightful story about Chinese culture with regards to tea and having children. I loved "Tina" and her hard work and warm heart.

This book was a wonderful read. Once I began, I couldn't stop. The story was very absorbing and educational. The first part reminded me of a memoir I read several years ago, Leaving Mother Lake: A Girlhood on the Edge of the World by Yang Namu. There were many similarities in the cultural beliefs and both are equally interesting.
Lisa See's book do not disappoint and I would highly recommend this one, especially for teas connisseurs, which I am not.

I was enthralled by this story, as I have been by all of See's books. Kirkus calls this a "riveting exercise in fictional anthropology" which is an excellent way of describing the nature of the writing. If you are looking for a fun, frothy read, this isn't it. If you are looking for an incredibly well-researched history of tea + the history of a cultural minority in China + a lesson in foreign adoption, you've found the perfect book. The only reason I withheld the 5th star is that the ending was just a bit too abrupt for me, but other than that, I absolutely loved it. There is an excellent author's note at the end with a long list of further reading. The interview I read with See on Goodreads also gave good background on the story and her motivation for writing it.

I am fascinated with Chinese culture and stories , I read the author book Snow Flower and the Secret FanSnow Flower and the Secret Fan , which I loved .
From the start you can see how much time were spend in researching this , not only it talks about Tea, the Akha ethnic minority and adoption of chiness children and even more than that. which is remarkable to have it in one story .

The story starts with Li-Yan , 10 year old girl living with her family in mountains. Hard life of collecting tea and selling it . Very vivid scenes,traditions and myths. From first two chapters you can see harrowing story of newlyweds couple and how superstition effect the daily life of this village.

When Li-Yan was going into labour it was powerful scene , I couldn't stop reading , I started to miss reading some words and I read it again.

This ultimately what I love !!!!!!!!!! .It moves smoothly teaching you new things with out being too much ( boring), learning fascinating life story and new culture , with tea you learning about tea (which have big history ,and I wasn't aware off).

Thank you Netgalley and Scribner for giving me an opportunity to read this wonderful book! Solid 4.5 stars. What I loved most was learning about the pu'er history and Akha culture. I became deeply connected to the characters and their stories. Through the writing I could feel the characters love, loss, and sacrifice. The unexpected twists and turns of the story were fantastic. The ending, however, was abrupt and left me desiring a more thorough conclusion. I will definitely be recommending this to my family, friends and my book club.

what i love about lisa see's novels is how well-researched they are. the level of detail she provides about little known chinese ethnic minorities and their way of life is impressive and totally engrossing. in the tea girl of hummingbird lane, see explores the akha people who inhabit the remote mountains that grow the tea leaves used in teas around the world.

the story begins in the early 1990s and takes us through to the present and explores the changing world. when the novel opens you'd have a hard time believing that it wasn't the middle ages, the akha are that far removed from society and technology. in one harrowing scene we learn about the akha beliefs about childbirth and the terrible sacrifices they make when they believe that something has gone wrong. this is a pivotal scene in the novel, it's horrifying not just too the reader, but to our narrator, girl or li-yan. that event pushes her to explore other options than the one defined for her by her parents.

by seeking further education than the one normally expected of girls like her, she opens herself up to new possibilities and experiences. but she starts out by making mistakes. she falls in love with the wrong man. while the akha society is generally very backwards, they are remarkably progressive about sex. they believe it is important to have sex before marriage to know if you are compatible with your partner. but you can't get pregnant. unfortunately for li-yan she does get pregnant. and her partner has gone off to try to make his fortune in order to be worthy. giving birth to a baby out of wedlock would usually mean death for the baby, but li-yan's mother is the local midwife, and she helps li-yan hide the pregnancy, deliver the baby, and helps li-yan send the baby to an orphanage.

when san-pa, li-yan's erstwhile lover, returns and they are finally allowed to marry, li-yan tries to get her baby back only to be told that it is too late, the baby has been given up for adoption to a nice american family. and since abandoning an infant is illegal, li-yan and san-pa escape to thailand to make a new life for themselves there. it doesn't go well.

in the meantime we are given glimpses of li-yan's baby, named haley by her american parents. through letters and doctor's notes and essays we get a sense of what life as an adoptee is like. what it means not to look like the rest of your family. what it means to have no sense of your ethnic background when you don't resemble anyone who is allegedly from your same part of the world. what it means to have unknowable questions about your identity and what it feels like to be afraid to ask them because you don't want to hurt the people who have raised you and love you, but who don't have the answers you need.

from the moment haley was adopted and li-yan lost all hope their lives start on a collision course toward one another. as we move forward in time, li-yan rebuilds her life. she finds new love, she starts a new family, a new business, while knowing that there's that missing piece of the puzzle just beyond her reach. and you just want them to find one another, even while knowing that it seems so unlikely that their paths would ever cross. luckily we're reading fiction, well-written and divinely-plotted, but definitely fiction.

this is a story of mothers and daughters, of family, of self-discovery and of identity. it's a story about what it means to know your heritage and where you come from. and what it means when you don't know those things. this is a powerful story that see weaves, a beautiful one too.

and maybe there were a couple of slow spots that were mainly info dumps about tea and tea growing, but they were beautifully written. i just have no patience. i was too invested in learning about what happened to li-yan next.

Li-yan and her family's lives revolve around tea, and they farm certain types throughout the year. Then, Li-yan has a baby, whom she names Haley, out of wedlock and abandons her. While the two of them are separated, Haley grows up as a privileged California girl, but always wonders about her roots and Li-yan longs for the daughter she gave up so long ago. Will the two of them reunite or be separated forever?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane, by Lisa See. I loved this book. I learned so much about the Chinese culture and the country. If you close your eyes, you feel like you are standing underneath the "ancient tree" and you want to protect it forever. The characters come to life and you can't stop thinking about them and their cultural struggles to survive the elements and their customs, while they begin to modernize, while holding on to their pasts. I could talk about this book and the characters forever, but will just strongly recommend everyone ready this beautiful book. Lisa See is a master storyteller! Congratulations!