The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane

A Novel

De: Lisa See

Narrado por: Ruthie Ann Miles, Kimiko Glenn, Alex Allwine, Gabra Zackman, Jeremy Bobb, Joy Osmanski, Emily Walton, Erin Wilhelmi

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.

Great Beginning, Tepid Ending

Lisa See stories, while entertaining, always educates and inspires me to learn more the culture and subject that she writes about. I have enjoyed at least five of her books, but this one fell a little short in one aspect and that is the abrupt and somewhat contrived ending. For such a well woven and intriguing beginning and development, the interaction of the characters and the plot in the last third of the novel were executed dispassionately, like a outline of story she would have liked to present, but she ran out of time or interest. The narrator for the primary character, Li-yan was excellent but I found the narration for her daughter, Haley was a bit to overly juvenile once Haley became an adult. Although I made these criticism, I still found this story well worth the credit because of this unique subject and insights to a segment of Chinese cultural society that most of us are unfamiliar with. Lisa See never fails to entertain, inspire and reveal a little more of the world to us with her novels. I anxious await her next book.

Li-tan will absolutely steal your heart

Where does The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is the best book I've read this year out of a lot of excellent titles.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I really felt she embodied Li-yan and brought her to life.

Any additional comments?

The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane has achieved the highest goal I could set for a book - Lisa See's Li-yan has found a home in my heart and soul. The story documents Li-yan's life as a member of the tiny rural Hill Tribe, the Akha, who earn most of their living by growing tea. Set in the late 20th century, it follows Li-yan from childhood through personal trials and the impacts of globalization, modernization, and cultural revolution in one of China's most remote villages. See's compelling writing brings this ancient culture to life, delving into rich description of the seemingly-endless superstitions and rituals practiced by the Akha, the lives of Spring Well's inhabitants, and the roles of women in a truly patriarchal society.

Li-yan's simultaneous desire to conform to, and struggle to accept, some Akha cultural traditions is a central conflict throughout the book. She begins to question the validity of certain practices at a young age and continues to do so, although the breaking of cultural taboos and Akha tradition are an enormous source of internal strife for her. Her daughter, the titular character, is the predominant example of this. Li-yan is forced at age 17 to illegally place her daughter up for adoption when she gives birth out of wedlock, as Akha traditions would dictate that the child must be killed. This bucking of tradition is a secret known only to Li-yan and her mother, but sets a course for Li-yan's life that is destined to lead her away from the Akha, while her heart still draws her back to her family and the old ways.

Li-yan is a complex and multifaceted character who the reader cannot help but love, especially after following her through the many ups and downs of her life. We watch her rise from humble beginnings to become the most educated woman in her village - the first to attend high school - only to disastrously fall pregnant before she can take her college entrance exam. She struggles through a miserable and abusive marriage, only to find she has nowhere to go when it ends. But Li-yan perseveres, and finds good fortune in something that she knows very well - tea. But through every stage of her life and step of her journey, Li-yan yearns to be reunited with her daughter, and wonders if she will ever find her again.

This is a beautiful and powerful read - well-worth every minute. Li-yan is a character that you will laugh and cry with; her successes are so rewarding and her heartache so real you can feel it. I'd recommend The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane to anyone - it's a story that will stick with you long after it ends.

Oh so good and AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH what the heck?

Where does The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It is definitely one of my favorites. I love Lisa See's writing style, the development of her characters. This is a wonderful read. The history, the research, the characters, the uniqueness of the plot, not predictable, very good. But Ms. See? What happened ... you know what I am talking about. I don't want to give it away, but I still am somewhat confused, there is a bit missing.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I liked most of the characters, A'ma - the main character, all were vital to the story and it was so good.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narrators did a great job!

Any additional comments?

The book is definitely worth a credit, but still AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH- what the heck?

A Wonderful Read

If you could sum up The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane in three words, what would they be?

Memorable! Fascinating! Heartfelt!!

Who was your favorite character and why?

I loved Leanna. She was so faithful to her people while all the while moving forward and upward in her life..... she never forgot the beliefs that she had been raised with and at the same time she ached for more .... for understanding.... for finding that baby she had left at the orphanage ...... always appreciating her mother and her village.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The first time to hear this narrator and I felt that she did a excellent job with her narrating. I like to knit and listening to audible offers me the opportunity to do the two things in my life that I enjoy the most: Reading and Knitting!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When Haley follows her Ahma to the old tree tea grove and sees her Lianne high up picking tea leaves and the whole story comes together....

Any additional comments?

I really enjoyed this audible so much. It made me want to hear more of Lisa See's novels. I have read several of them in book form, but am now going to listen to The Interior.

Loved it!

I was unsure at first if I would like this story; it seemed so detailed and so much subject matter consumed with tea? It didn’t portend much excitement. But I was pleasantly surprised -hooked me in and I loved it!