The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane
The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane
The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane
Description
Description
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa See, "one of those special writers capable of delivering both poetry and plot" (The New York Times Book Review), a moving novel about tradition, tea farming, and the bonds between mothers and daughters. In their remote mountain village, Li-yan and her family align their lives around the seasons and the farming of tea. For the Akha people, ensconced in ritual and routine, life goes on as it has for generations--until a stranger appears at the village gate in a jeep, the first automobile any of the villagers has ever seen. The stranger's arrival marks the first entrance of the modern world in the lives of the Akha people. Slowly, Li-yan, one of the few educated girls on her mountain, begins to reject the customs that shaped her early life. When she has a baby out of wedlock--conceived with a man her parents consider a poor choice--she rejects the tradition that would compel her to give the child over to be killed, and instead leaves her, wrapped in a blanket with a tea cake tucked in its folds, near an orphanage in a nearby city. As Li-yan comes into herself, leaving her insular village for an education, a business, and city life, her daughter, Haley, is raised in California by loving adoptive parents. Despite her privileged childhood, Haley wonders about her origins. Across the ocean Li-yan longs for her lost daughter. Over the course of years, each searches for meaning in the study of Pu'er, the tea that has shaped their family's destiny for centuries. A powerful story about circumstances, culture, and distance, The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane paints an unforgettable portrait of a little known region and its people and celebrates the bond of family.
Critical Reviews
Critical Reviews
"Superb. . . This emotional, informative and brilliant page-turner resonates with resilience and humanity."
-The Washington Post "A fascinating portrait of life as a Chinese American woman."
-The New York Times "Stellar. . . The depth of See's characters and her winning prose make this book a wonderful journey."
-Publishers Weekly (starred review) "China Dolls is [Lisa See's] most penetrating novel since Snow Flower and the Secret Fan."
-The Seattle Times "A spellbinding portrait of a time burning with opportunity and mystery."
-O: The Oprah Magazine "See has crafted a captivating, profoundly American story."
-The Miami Herald "A riveting, meticulously researched depiction of one of the world's worst human-engineered catastrophes."
--Kirkus Reviews "A stunningly-researched epic."
-Los Angeles Magazine "A vivid, haunting, and often graphic portrait of a country, and family, in crisis."
--Booklist "Once again, See's research feels impeccable, and she has created an authentic, visually arresting world."
--The Washington Post "Excellent. . . lives up to its predecessor's magic."
-The Dallas Morning News "With this fraught, adversity-filled story set at an interesting time in history, See proves again with her meticulous research, knowledge and insights of Chinese culture that she can spin a character-rich tale that enlightens."
-The Miami Herald "Stunning emotional depth."
-San Diego Union Tribune "[A] compelling family saga...Satisfying on so many levels."
--Bookpage "Shanghai Girls is much loftier than its cover art's stunning portrait of beautifully adorned Asian women...The detail is thoughtful and intricate."
--Janet Maslin, New York Times "See masterfully weaves the intimate story of these sisters and their extended family with the larger tales of Chinese immigrants struggling to get along in an unfamiliar, often hostile land."
-Arizona Daily Star "Highly recommended. . . possibly [See's] best book yet."
-Library Journal "An accomplished and absorbing novel. . . [Lisa] See's skillful plotting and richly drawn characters immediately draw in the reader, covering twenty years of love, loss, heartbreak and joy."
-Publishers Weekly (Pick of the Week) "Lisa See transports readers to the remote mountains of China...come for the heartwarming bonding between mother and daughter; stay for the insight into Akha culture and the fascinating (really) history of the tea trade."
--Real Simple "With strong female characters, See deftly confronts the changing role of minority women, majority-minority relations, East-West adoption, and the economy of tea in modern China. Fans of See's Snow Flower and the Secret Fan will appreciate this novel."
--Library Journal "With vivid and precise details about tea and life in rural China, Li-Yan's gripping journey to find her daughter comes alive."
--Publishers Weekly "A riveting exercise in fictional anthropology."
--Kirkus Reviews "See is one of those special writers capable of delivering both poetry and plot."
--New York Times Book Review "A lush tale infused with clear-eyed compassion, this novel will inspire reflection, discussion and an overwhelming desire to drink rare Chinese tea."
--The Washington Post "Lisa See is a confident, lyrical, smart, impeccably researched writer ... [The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane is] both unique and a universal story of motherhood."
--L.A. Review of Books "Fans of the best-selling Snow Flower and the Secret Fan will find much to admire in The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane, as both books closely illuminate stories of women's struggles and solidarity in minority-ethnic and rural Chinese cultures ... But in rendering the complex pain and joy of the mother-daughter bond, Lisa See makes this novel -- dedicated to her own mother, author Carolyn See, who died last year -- a deeply emotional and satisfying read."
--USA Today "An alluring escape, a satisfying and vivid fable that uses an Akha belief to tap into our own longings for coincidence."
--San Francisco Chronicle Praise for Lisa See's China Dolls: Praise for Lisa See's Dreams of Joy: Praise for Lisa See's Shanghai Girls:
-The Washington Post "A fascinating portrait of life as a Chinese American woman."
-The New York Times "Stellar. . . The depth of See's characters and her winning prose make this book a wonderful journey."
-Publishers Weekly (starred review) "China Dolls is [Lisa See's] most penetrating novel since Snow Flower and the Secret Fan."
-The Seattle Times "A spellbinding portrait of a time burning with opportunity and mystery."
-O: The Oprah Magazine "See has crafted a captivating, profoundly American story."
-The Miami Herald "A riveting, meticulously researched depiction of one of the world's worst human-engineered catastrophes."
--Kirkus Reviews "A stunningly-researched epic."
-Los Angeles Magazine "A vivid, haunting, and often graphic portrait of a country, and family, in crisis."
--Booklist "Once again, See's research feels impeccable, and she has created an authentic, visually arresting world."
--The Washington Post "Excellent. . . lives up to its predecessor's magic."
-The Dallas Morning News "With this fraught, adversity-filled story set at an interesting time in history, See proves again with her meticulous research, knowledge and insights of Chinese culture that she can spin a character-rich tale that enlightens."
-The Miami Herald "Stunning emotional depth."
-San Diego Union Tribune "[A] compelling family saga...Satisfying on so many levels."
--Bookpage "Shanghai Girls is much loftier than its cover art's stunning portrait of beautifully adorned Asian women...The detail is thoughtful and intricate."
--Janet Maslin, New York Times "See masterfully weaves the intimate story of these sisters and their extended family with the larger tales of Chinese immigrants struggling to get along in an unfamiliar, often hostile land."
-Arizona Daily Star "Highly recommended. . . possibly [See's] best book yet."
-Library Journal "An accomplished and absorbing novel. . . [Lisa] See's skillful plotting and richly drawn characters immediately draw in the reader, covering twenty years of love, loss, heartbreak and joy."
-Publishers Weekly (Pick of the Week) "Lisa See transports readers to the remote mountains of China...come for the heartwarming bonding between mother and daughter; stay for the insight into Akha culture and the fascinating (really) history of the tea trade."
--Real Simple "With strong female characters, See deftly confronts the changing role of minority women, majority-minority relations, East-West adoption, and the economy of tea in modern China. Fans of See's Snow Flower and the Secret Fan will appreciate this novel."
--Library Journal "With vivid and precise details about tea and life in rural China, Li-Yan's gripping journey to find her daughter comes alive."
--Publishers Weekly "A riveting exercise in fictional anthropology."
--Kirkus Reviews "See is one of those special writers capable of delivering both poetry and plot."
--New York Times Book Review "A lush tale infused with clear-eyed compassion, this novel will inspire reflection, discussion and an overwhelming desire to drink rare Chinese tea."
--The Washington Post "Lisa See is a confident, lyrical, smart, impeccably researched writer ... [The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane is] both unique and a universal story of motherhood."
--L.A. Review of Books "Fans of the best-selling Snow Flower and the Secret Fan will find much to admire in The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane, as both books closely illuminate stories of women's struggles and solidarity in minority-ethnic and rural Chinese cultures ... But in rendering the complex pain and joy of the mother-daughter bond, Lisa See makes this novel -- dedicated to her own mother, author Carolyn See, who died last year -- a deeply emotional and satisfying read."
--USA Today "An alluring escape, a satisfying and vivid fable that uses an Akha belief to tap into our own longings for coincidence."
--San Francisco Chronicle Praise for Lisa See's China Dolls: Praise for Lisa See's Dreams of Joy: Praise for Lisa See's Shanghai Girls:
Publishing Information
Publishing Information
Publisher:
Scribner Book Company
Pub date:
2017-03-21
Length:
384 pages
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