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    The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane: A Novel
    The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane: A Novel
    The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane: A Novel
    Audiobook14 hours

    The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane: A Novel

    Written by Lisa See

    Narrated by Ruthie Ann Miles, Kimiko Glenn, Alex Allwine and

    4.5/5

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    • Family

    • Cultural Differences

    • Tea Culture

    • Adoption

    • Personal Growth

    • Fish Out of Water

    • Forbidden Love

    • Culture Clash

    • Star-Crossed Lovers

    • Outsider

    • Cultural Clash

    • Parental Love

    • Sacrifice

    • New Beginnings

    • Mentor

    • Gender Roles

    • Identity

    • Motherhood

    • Survival

    • Family Dynamics

    About this audiobook

    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.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster Audio
    Release dateMar 21, 2017
    ISBN9781508226543
    Author

    Lisa See

    Lisa See is the New York Times bestselling author of The Island of Sea Women, The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Peony in Love, Shanghai Girls, China Dolls, and Dreams of Joy, which debuted at #1. She is also the author of On Gold Mountain, which tells the story of her Chinese American family’s settlement in Los Angeles. See was the recipient of the Golden Spike Award from the Chinese Historical Association of Southern California and the Historymaker’s Award from the Chinese American Museum. She was also named National Woman of the Year by the Organization of Chinese American Women.

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    Reviews for The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane

    4.5/5

    1,045 ratings103 reviews

    What our readers think

    Readers find this title to be a captivating and well-written story that explores the world of the Akha people and the origin of tea. The book provides depth and detail, with engaging characters and a fascinating portrayal of Chinese culture. While some readers found the pacing slow and wished for more breaks in the chapters, overall, the book was highly enjoyable and educational. It offers a beautiful and emotional journey through time and cultures, leaving readers wanting more. Highly recommended for those interested in Chinese history and tea."

    What did you think?

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    • 5/5
      A great audio recording. I loved this book by Lisa See. best on the speed of 1.5

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Great book! I love that the book showed the different sides of the stories. It kept surprising me with every new event. I definitely recommend reading it!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Beautiful. Learned a lot. Interesting read for children who are adopted.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      Lisa See has the wonderful ability to weave a vivid beautiful story.
    • 4/5
      3.5 stars, rounded up
      This character-driven book was quite educational for me in three ways: 1) I learned about one particular Chinese ethnic minority; 2) I learned a little bit about the way this hill tribe was affected by the Cultural Revolution; and 3) I learned about tea. That is, I read a lot about tea, although I can’t swear that I understood it all. I was impressed with a sense of how rich, vast, complex, and ancient a commodity tea is, and I have a strong idea of how much I still don’t know about the different kinds of tea and their properties. The tea business is important to the story throughout, but it really shines through in a big way in the second half of the novel. If you like tea, or even if you don’t, you’re likely to find it interesting. I also found it a bit overwhelming.

      The story, for the most part, focuses on one woman. Her mother and daughter are also key players, and it follows their story for several decades. There is much that I liked. I liked the details, the intricate characters, and the way that it let me learn about other things, people, and places. This particular tribe had certain practices that seem horrifying, and I like that this book depicts those characters as sympathetic, complex, and interesting, while never ever condoning their actions. It’s not without its drawbacks. Some plot elements are unclear, and in a book that gives so much detail about so many comparatively minor things, it’s a little frustrating when a major plot point is never really explained. There were also a lot of convenient coincidences, and in many parts, it seemed contrived. Still, I’m glad I read it. This book is rich with back story and details, and it’s a wonderful journey. It is not an edge-of-your-seat thriller, so if you’re looking for lots of action, you should probably look elsewhere. However, if you like vivid characters and memorable plots—or even if you just like tea—this is a book not to miss.
    • 4/5
      bookbox - indigenous people; historical fiction about the Akha people in the Yunnan province of China who are an isolated ethinic minority tribe in the mountains, whose lives revolve around ritual, customs and picking tea. When a jeep arrives at the village, and the Chinese-American boy is cured by Li-Yan's mother a chain of events is set in motion. Historical Fiction - the author does a good job of conveying all of the history and changes. But I think it would have been a better book if she had concentrated on Li-Yan's life in this book, and then wirtten a sequel and expanded more on Haley - Li-Yan's daughter that she had to give up & her growing up adopted in America. I listened an audio version of the book, to learn the pronunciation of the names and locations. It also helped keep the characters straight with the different actor's voices. I also read the paper copy along with the audio. Not sure where this will travel next.
    • 5/5
      Beautiful story! Could not stop reading it. Highly recommend it.
    • 4/5
      Beautifully written. You can visualize the scenery and feel the love of a mother
    • 5/5
      Such an amazing story! I will carry this story with me for the rest of my life.
    • 5/5
      If you enjoy international historical fiction about China, this is a fantastic book to read. The writer has always written such impelling stories based on fact. Excellent read.
    • 4/5
      More like 3 and a half stars. I liked it, the tea history and info was fun. The ending was a little abrupt and lacked a real emotional pop. All in all though it was a good story worth the listen.
    • 5/5
      As an American woman who adopted two daughters from China, I found this book extremely touching. To write so profoundly about the complex perspectives of a birth family and an adoptive family was much appreciated and very well done. Thank You!!
    • 5/5
      Learned so much about tea and so so loved this story. I look forward to more books by Lisa See. Great writer. Well read!
    • 5/5
      Such a great listen!! Love her work, this one really had such a great storyline and complex characters. I found myself choking up several times during the book. Very moving, bravo.
    • 5/5
      Wonderful and graceful narration. First book I've deeply enjoyed in some time. My only complaint is now, I'm so invested in these characters that I want more.
    • 5/5
      A great story of love, hardship, and cultural Asian differences!
    • 5/5
      A most wonderful book! It started slow and I wasn't sure I wanted to continue to listen. I am so glad I did listen. This book was so full of Chinese history, culture and the people. I did not want it to end.
    • 5/5
      This book was so well researched and detailed in the Chinese cultures. There’s always an educational element when reading Lisa See. Like her other books, the characters are well developed and incredibly intertwined! I LOVED the ending.
    • 5/5
      Lovely story on par with "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan". I just wish there were more breaks in the chapters because with 6 HUGE ones it's hard to rewind back to a spot you may not have heard.
    • 5/5
      Mother’s and Daughter’s love . Awesome story to hear about
    • 5/5
      Lisa See delivers big time, once again! ! ! !
    • 5/5
      What an amazing journey through time and cultures! Very emotional and interesting. Bravo!!!
    • 5/5
      Knocked my socks off! So beautifully fascinating, heartwarming, and eye- opening! Pulled me into so many different worlds: ethnic Chinese world, small village world, tea world, communist China world, adoption world. Blown away and every other relatable cliche!
    • 5/5
      I absolutely loved this book. So well written. Loved the characters and narrators
    • 5/5
      Fabulous book. It connects you to the world of the Akha, the origin of tea and a story of love and human suffering. With so much depth and detail... Simply loved it.
    • 4/5
      Book was a little slow but left me in goose bumps.
    • 5/5
      Well written, with perfect balance; authenticity of history, twists & turns of interpersonal relationships and the plot.
    • 5/5
      I highly recommend reading, great story. Very well written, good narration
    • 5/5
      A gripping story about a world far removed from mine. I love the way the author married up the lives of so many. Great story.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this book very much… I didn’t like how it ended however! I was angry and disappointed it was just pooooffff done.