The amount of detail in this book is truly amazing - I learned so much I never knew about Akha culture and customs, tea, China's ethnic minorities, and more.

The book started off a little slow, the first 25% or so didn't necessarily captivate my interest. However, once the background info was laid out, Li-yan grew up, began to live her life, and the story started to go a lot faster.

There are a few incidents in the book that I had a hard time accepting as coincidences rather than deliberate plot movers: Li-yan running into Deh-ja en route to Thailand, San-pa finding Li-yan 4 days after she left just in time to save her from a tiger, Li-yan running into Deh-ja a second time outside the orphanage, Haley meeting/dating Xian-rong, and ultimately Haley and Li-yan's reunion. In a country as vast as China, it just didn't seem realistic. However, my limited knowledge of China, the terrain, and adoptions may just have me too close-minded to give these moments a chance.

I was not very interested in Haley's pieces of the story. The adoption group therapy, her essay, etc. felt out of place. I also thought the ending was way too far-fetched. I would have preferred a more realistic ending: Li-yan and Haley not meeting and continuing to live their lives but both holding out hope that they'll find each other one day.

Overall, I did enjoy this novel and would recommend it to anyone interested in historical fiction. I always love when I can learn a lot from reading and this book nailed that. Lisa See's fans will not be disappointed.

Lisa See's novel THE TEA GIRL OF HUMMINGBIRD LANE is a wonderful read, an education read. I love when I read for pleasure but learn so much.

I loved this story, the traditions and the knowledge imparted in this book about tea was wonderful. Li-Yan is a character I will not soon forget. Grace and strength at it's finest.

Snowflower and the Secret Fan is easily one of my top five favorite books of all time. Given that standard, I compare every other Lisa See book to Snowflower and the Secret Fan. None of them quite reached its level but all of See's books are wonderful in their own right. The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane is See's newest book and comes real close to Snowflower in my list of favorites.

Anytime you read a book by See you can guarantee that she has done her research. I always learn so much from reading See's books, all the while enjoying a great storyline. It never feels like a chore or lesson being taught though she manages to convey a lot of new information to me. If I had to boil this novel down to its most bare bones, I would say it is about tea, love, tradition, and the sacred bonds that are shared by mothers and daughters.

The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane focuses on the Akha, an ethnic minority in China. The Akha live in a remote rural area and earn their living by growing tea. My review could not possibly do justice in describing the intricate details involved in the tea growth and trade in China. The main character, Li-Yan, grows up in this tribe.

One thing that I found unusual about the Akha tribe is that young people are not only allowed but encouraged to have sex before marriage, to 'test each other out' per se. While I thought this was incredibly progressive, turns out that while they can have sex the females are not supposed to allow themselves to 'come to a head' which means get pregnant. So even in a remote area in China, women are blamed for the sins of both.

Li-Yan has an interesting life. She falls in love and gives birth to a daughter that she must give up or kill. She chooses to give her daughter away. Li-Yan goes on to learn a lot about tea, both the growing and the distribution. She learns the old ways from her mother and the new ways by extending her education. She falls in love again and marries. Li-Yan is a very likable protagonist. You will find yourself rooting for her happiness and well-being.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this novel.

This book has everything Lisa See fans will love. Although heartbreaking at times, the writing is beautiful and the historical descriptions can't be beat.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Scribner and Lisa See for the ARC of "The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane" by Lisa See, for my honest review.
The genres of this novel are Women's Fiction, and Historical Fiction.
I applaud Lisa See for the research that went into the Akha people, traditions, culture, and the diversity of different teas and that importance to the Yunnan Village. I found the descriptions of the making tea, and the variety and processing intriguing.
In this fictional novel, I find that Lisa See has done an amazing job, describing her character's traditions, and culture and their feelings.
We are first introduced to Li-yan, and her family as tea growers in the Yunnon village. Li-yan 's mother is the mid wife and also dispenses home made medicine from leaves and roots to sick people. There are strict traditions. If a woman of the village gives birth to twins, it is a sign of bad spirits and the twins have to be destroyed. The parents are forced to leave the village and there is a ritual cleansing of the village.
At this time in history, women are not regarded as important. There is also a time when the Akha women are to marry. Li-yan's only dowry is a hidden property up in the hills with very old trees. These trees produce the best tea. Li-yan's mother is superstitious and no man is allowed to see this land.
Unlike most of the women villlagers, Li-yan is allowed to go to school, and is very smart. She passes tests and gets higher education. Li-yan meets a student she has known for years, and falls in love. Her family doesn't approve and won't let him marry her. He leaves to make his fortune and promises to come back.
Meanwhile, Li-yan finds herself pregnant, and this also is against their traditions. Instead of destroying the baby, she leaves it by an orphanage, with a blanket, and a cake of tea from her tree. Li-yan is devastated.
This baby is named Haley and is adopted by two scientist in America. Haley always wonders why her Chinese mother gave her up. Somehow, Haley finds an interest in tea.
Li-yan furthers her education, and then specializes in tea leaves. Tea like wine has certain properties. Li-yan has had a very hard life, but through hard work does well in business.
Li-yan always feels the loss of her baby girl, and Haley always wonders about her heritage. As time passes, and the internet is around, both try to find each other.
I love the way Lisa See writes about family, love, culture, traditions,honor and hope. I would highly recommend this enjoyable book.

When I first started the book, I had trouble keeping up with who was who. It didn't take me long before I was past that and completely entranced. The story is written so well that you feel as if you are actually there seeing it all unfold. I was disappointed at the end, but only because I wanted more of the story. That part of the story, the author has left up to your imagination. This is definitely a must-read!

I was shocked by the opening story of the twins born and killed. Beyond that, I couldn't bring myself to read so I didn't finish it.

This is a beautiful story which looks at mother-daughter relationships and the culture of the Akha, a tribe of nomads from Tibet who settled in the hills of Yunnan province. Generations of Akha have cultivated and harvested tea leaves, living a life of near poverty while adhering to customs and protocols unique to the Akha. This life is portrayed through the eyes of Li-Yan the youngest child and only daughter of the midwife and medicine woman of the tribe. The relationship between Li-Yan and her A-ma is not an easy one. Li-Yan excels in the classroom but also excels in defying the many laws and traditions the Akha cherish. When she conceives out of wedlock, she knows the child she carries will be considered a “human reject”. Allowing the baby to live goes against Akha law. In secrecy, with the help of her A-ma, she delivers a healthy child, a child she knows she will not be permitted to keep. This girl will be adopted and raised by a couple in Los Angeles. The only connection Haley (Yan-yeh) will have with her past will be the teacake tucked under her head when she is found at the door of an orphanage.

It is impossible not to get fully absorbed into the lives and customs of these Akha people in the first half of this novel. Google the Akha to fully understand some of the references to head coverings and bridal clothing. It adds even more to what is a fascinating look at a remote people who developed their own set of rules to live by. Some were mere superstition, others had a basis in health of the people. That this fictional account of the Akha takes place in the 1980’s, post Cultural Revolution makes the story even more poignant.

The focus of the second half of the novel is tea, the marketing, trading, and profits to be made from exotic teas, namely the locally grown Pu’er. The interest in exotic teas and their value as trading commodities changes the lives of the Akha and brings opportunities for the desolate Li-Yan. I enjoyed learning about these tea brokers and tea masters. The section of the novel is less enchanting than the simple life spent gathering leaves and sewing trinkets onto headpieces up in the hills but it kept me reading, hoping Li-Yan would one day be reunited with her daughter as her wealth and opportunities increased.

Interspersed with Li-Yan’s life as a tea master we begin to see bits of Haley’s life in Los Angeles. She is not the only Chinese girl adopted into a white family. There are thousands and thousands of adopted girls thanks to the One Child policy put in place by the Chinese government as a failed experiment in population control. The author effectively points out the isolation and sense of being other experienced by these girls. Haley plays a small roll in this sweeping saga but an important one. Her contributions to the ending chapters made this historic fiction a pleasure to read from beginning to end.

ARC received with thanks from Scribner via NetGalley for review.

I have always loved Lisa See’s books and this one is best of all. This is an exquisite crafting of an unusual tale. I cannot even imagine (even after reading the Afterword by the author) the kind of research she had to do to write this book. There are a couple of niggling things that I didn’t like, and if it were possible I would have given the book 4 ½ stars. But given the paucity of the books that are written and published now, I didn’t want to down grade this wonderful book to 4 stars.

Not only is the story engrossing, but the detailed descriptions of the Akha are so instructive as well as the education and information about tea. This information is so well interwoven into the story line that I didn't feel like I was reading an instructional book. Further, the book has made me want to (1) find out more about tea and try to find a place where I can sample the different kinds and (2) learn more about the Akha.

Of course we, the readers, would know that mother and daughter would find each other in the end. That is a given from the very start, so this isn’t really a spoiler. But the how and why of their separate journeys are what make the book so absorbing. I couldn’t wait to get to the end to find out how it is all resolved.

Now, for the couple of niggling items: I felt short changed by the somewhat abrupt ending to the book. While I commend the author for not writing the typical Hollywood ending, I would like to have had the end lengthened a bit so that we readers get some emotional closure as to how Tina and Haley perceived each other, i.e., did they bond, did they feel a closeness to each other and how do the two families of Haley interweave. This doesn’t have to be long, maybe just a short chapter would suffice.

Also, one other bit of information was missing… since Jin had said he wanted many children, I wondered why Tina only had one child. Was she not able to? Or were they just satisfied with Paul?

Anyway, kudos to Lisa See for writing this magnificent book.

I was given this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Lisa See. What else can I say. She's so amazing. Beautifully written and full of feelings! Highly recommend!

As in the past I have thoroughly enjoyed reading another book by Lisa See. This time she has completely piqued my interest about tea. I loved meeting and getting to know her characters. The history and process of tea making and production is extremely fascinating. It explores a remote area in China and the century old beliefs and customs of that area. The mother-daughter relationship is heartwarming as well as the story of the American family that adopts her little girl.

This is a must read for all Lisa See fans.

As I adore all Lisa See's books, I really adored this one. The beautifully woven story of mothers/daughters/expectations/hopes/dreams/losses.....is just beautiful. The ending is just the jumping off point on a ledge for a great sequel. I care about these characters and their lives aren't/can't be done showing me who they are, what and who they become. I love the tea story/history backdrop - and always am happy to read how strength perseveres, especially for women.

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.

A girl from one of the 50 ethic minority tribes in southwest China is at the center of the narrative in <b>The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane</b>. Li-Yan is an Akha girl whose family has cultivated tea for thousands of years. They live in poverty high up on the side of a mountain. It is remote and the lifestyle is rough, to say the least. They live in tune with the earth and follow ancient rituals that have little to do with what is going on in the rest of China. The narrative is carefully structured to include Li-Yan's heartbreaking experience with love and motherhood and the role that tea plays in the village culture and economy, and ultimately in the economy of China.

Li-Yan's mother plays an important role in her destiny as does her teacher who was exiled to the area during the cultural revolution. The novel give us many glimpses of the evolving China as well as the life of a hill tribe people who many of us have glimpsed in visits to China, Myanmar, and Thailand. The novel is an education in the life of hill tribes and a tribute to the love between a daughter and a mother. The connection most often cannot be broken.

ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Scribner (March 21st 2017).

A touchingly complex immersion in the lives and culture of the Akha mountain minorities in China, with all the beautiful and mixed up feelings one can get while reading about love, loss, hierarchical struggle and fight for overcoming the social condition as a woman.
And what a spectaculat journey it has been for Li-Yan! Lisa See managed to capture so well the strength and candor of love in all its forms: mother to daughter, mother to granddaughter, wife to husband, Girl to her roots, love for traditions and tea.
This journey is three-fold in my opinion. Firstly, Li-Yan's life, her mistakes, loss, success in business and loving again and finding what she was looking for. Secondly, Haley's growing up and rediscovering her own roots and herself. Last but not least, the changes in Chinese culture in the years after the Cultural Revolution.
There is another angle to the story, the permanance of "lineage", of respecting and trusting the elders, traditions in as much as possible.
The ending is absolutely heart breaking in a beautiful way literally and stilistically. I kept re-reading the last pages for half an hour and still I kept absorbing the phrases.
It is definitely a must read, even if you have never read any book by Lisa See.
Release date is March 21st, 2017.
Thanks so much to Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lisa See has done it again with this beautifully written book of a Chinese family. Once I picked up this book I was immediately drawn in to the Akha minority, their culture, traditions, family and heritage.
Li-Yan gives birth to a daughter at a young age and not married. She has to give up he daughter who is adopted by an American family.
The Akha villagers grow, harvest and sell a brand of tea called Pu'er.
This book ties together the mother-daughter bond and how even though miles apart they think about and love one another.
This was a book I just could not put down! Get ready to lose sleep, as you will want to keep turning those pages!

Thank you NetGalley and Scribner for giving me the opportunity to read this book.
Thank you Lisa See for another wonderful journey. Your books always teach me something while engrossing me in a wonderful story and make me want to learn more.

Received advance reader copy from Scribner via Netgalley.

WOW!!! This was the first word that came to my mind after finishing this book. I honestly can’t remember the last time a work of fiction affected me as much on an emotional level as this book did. To say that I enjoyed this book is actually an understatement – more appropriately, I ADORED this book and absolutely savored every minute I spent reading it!

Let’s start with the premise of the book, which is essentially about a girl named Li-yan, who is from the ethnic minority tribe Akha in China. Her tribe resides in a remote Yunnan village called Spring Well, located in the Nannuo Mountains -- a land that is filled with tea trees, some of which date back hundreds, maybe even thousands, of years. Li-yan and her family are tea farmers who make their living by picking tea leaves and then selling them to the local tea collection center. Outside of their regular work as tea farmers, Li-yan’s A-ma (the Akha term for mother) is also a midwife, though in reality, she does so much more than just deliver babies – she is also the village healer of sorts who is able to treat all types of ailments with her special potions. When the story begins, Li-yan is 10-years-old and as the only daughter in the family (she has 3 older brothers), she is destined to follow in her A-ma’s footsteps in becoming a midwife. All Akha follow a strict set of rituals and traditions that have been passed on for generations and any deviation from these customs are viewed as “grave sins” that bring bad luck on the entire village. Depending on the severity of the “violation,” the wrong can be righted through cleansing ceremonies and offerings, with the worst punishment being banishment from the village. With her bold personality and a strong desire to become more than what her culture has destined her to be, Li-yan finds herself constantly defying the rules and “causing trouble to her family.” As we follow Li-yan from adolescence to adulthood, we bear witness to all the trials and tribulations she encounters in her life as she struggles to stay true to her Akha heritage while at the same time understanding that she must also adapt to the ever-changing world around her.

The above summary merely scratches the surface of what this book is about – there is so much more to the story than just a young girl’s coming of age journey. In addition to being a story about culture and tradition, family and relationships, fate and circumstances, love and the strong bond between mothers and daughters, there is also an exploration of the political, economic, and social issues in China throughout the nearly three decades that the story covers. The story itself is told mostly from Li-yan’s perspective, with some sections switching over to Li-yan’s long-lost daughter Haley’s perspective. In terms of setting, majority of the story takes place in China, though a good portion of the second half takes place in the United States (specifically in Southern California).

There are so many things I love about this book! The story is captivating, with the sections on family and the bond between mothers and daughters especially touching and endearing. I was moved to tears with the ending scene (which was at the same time poignant as well as powerful) and still felt a bit sad long after I finished reading the book, mostly because I had grown so attached to the characters and the story that I didn’t want it to end. The prose was beautiful, the characters were endearing, the story was fascinating, the historical aspects were well-researched and meticulously described – all things that set this book apart as exceptional!

This is actually my first time reading Lisa See’s books and I’m glad I started with this one due to how much I was able to relate to so many aspects of this book. As someone who grew up (and currently still lives) in Southern California, it was great fun reading through the second half of the book and recognizing every single place that was referred to (and not just the cities either – the restaurants and shops were places that I’ve been to numerous times). I’m also a tea lover (in fact, I’m drinking Pu’erh right now as I write this), so I really appreciated the detail in which the author described the tea making process and all the other aspects about tea, which was a fascinating read for me. On a deeper level, as a Chinese-American myself, I was able to relate to many of the societal struggles that both Li-yan and Haley went through in the story, as I’ve experienced some of those same struggles first-hand over the years. For me, it was wonderful to see a character like Li-yan – a strong woman who loves her family and embraces her heritage as part of who she is, but at the same time, doesn’t allow herself to be chained down to the rituals and traditions to the point that she is unable to accept anything else outside of them. I also appreciated how Li-yan was able to see her own flaws and mistakes she’d made in her life and owned up to them wholeheartedly. Another favorite character for me was Li-yan’s A-ma, who represented the steadfast adherence to cultural beliefs and customs, but at the same time, demonstrated how a mother’s unconditional love for her daughter can transcend all else.

I highly recommend this book, not just to Lisa See fans, but to anyone who likes a great story with cultural and historical significance as well as well-developed characters and also emotional depth. This is definitely one of my favorite books that I’ve read this year!

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

Lisa See's latest novel, The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane, manages to transport readers to a totally different time, place, and culture. Rarely can an author fully establish that sense of place when it is so foreign to her readers. Her use of Chinese words to describe unique aspects of the culture is extremely well-done as they are incorporated seamlessly into the dialogue and narrative.

The novel begins in 1988, but the beginning setting is very much removed from the late 2oth century. The Akha people are a semi-secluded tribe in the mountains of Yunnan. They follow the traditions of generations of ancestors growing teas as their village's means of income. By any standards, including their own, they are on the verge of starvation. Their poverty, however, does not stop them from having a rich and fulfilling family life. For readers, the description of their village, Spring Well, establishes a solid foundation on which the lives and habits and beliefs of Li-yan, her extended family, and fellow villagers are built. The village reads like something from generations earlier, lacking basic services; the villagers had never seen electricity or running water so they have no sense of loss. Education is extremely limited, with Master Zhang the village teacher sent there years earlier as part of Mao's revolution. Li-yan is very bright and her education lasts far longer than expected by the family.

Tea - from ancient tree to harvest methods to production to distribution to cultural nuances - is at the core of this novel. Tea serves as the extended metaphor for the Akha culture, past, present and future. The changes to the villagers' way of life as tea becomes a very profitable enterprise are clearly detailed. Not all change is for the better.

Parts of this novel were difficult to read. Life was extremely harsh for the villagers and their culture demanded painful remedies and solutions. While reading about "rejects" through my American lens of safety and ease, it was difficult not to view their beliefs as barbaric. See wonderfully portrays the agonizing pain of family and village as the Akha solutions are carried out.

There are also some conflicting parts of the Akha and Chinese culture. Boys and girls were expected to have intercourse prior to marriage to ensure that they were compatible. Yet, unwed motherhood was viewed as shameful and adding to the concept of "reject." The desire to have male children only added complexity.

I have read several of See's novels and I have loved all of them. Her writing truly provides the reader with an intimate view of another world. The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane is one of her best.

This was Lisa See's best book yet. In the past we read about California with a China backstory, but the tables were turned this time. This was set in China with a California backstory and as we knew from the press release, it was a story of a Chinese mother and her daughter adopted by a California couple, so I expected a predictable story told in two voices. Not so! We read about the Hill People and their cultural and economic struggles to survive. We read about their minority status and the problem with opium. We read about Pu'er tea, all about Pu'er tea. I was introduced to Pu'er tea through my Tai Chi school, plus two of my friends are adoptive mothers of Korean babies, now grown. This book felt very personal. I loved the ending.

I love Lisa See's work, because she writes with such a knowledge and love of China, that each novel is like visiting with an exotic friend. I have had the joy of spending time in China, and this latest work is so filled with the sights, sounds, and adventure of such a marvelous place in the world. And tea is the perfect back-drop. It's wonderful once again, and a joy as always to read.