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!

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).