The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane

By: Lisa See

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

2018 Audie Award Finalist for Fiction and Multi-Voiced Performance

The thrilling new novel from number-one New York Times best-selling author Lisa See explores the lives of a Chinese mother and her daughter who has been abandoned and adopted by an American couple.

Li-yan and her family align their lives around the seasons and the farming of tea. There is ritual and routine, and it has been ever thus for generations. Then one day a jeep appears at the village gate - the first automobile any of them have seen - and a stranger arrives.

In this remote Yunnan village, the stranger finds the rare tea he has been seeking and a reticent Akha people. In her biggest seller, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, See introduced the Yao people to her audience. Here she shares the customs of another Chinese ethnic minority, the Akha, whose world will soon change.

Li-yan, one of the few educated girls on her mountain, translates for the stranger and is among the first to reject the rules that have shaped her existence. When she has a baby outside of wedlock rather than stand by tradition, she wraps her daughter in a blanket, with a tea cake hidden in her swaddling, and abandons her in the nearest city.

After mother and daughter have gone their separate ways, Li-yan slowly emerges from the security and insularity of her village to encounter modern life while Haley grows up a privileged and well-loved California girl. Despite Haley's happy home life, she wonders about her origins, and Li-yan longs for her lost daughter. They both search for and find answers in the tea that has shaped their family's destiny for generations.

A powerful story about a family separated by 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 that connects mothers and daughters.

©2017 Lisa See (P)2017 Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Through Ruthie Ann Miles's earnest narration, listeners are quickly drawn into a culturally complex and historically rich story...See's writing is evocative, with vivid imagery and a strong sense of place, and the cast serves to enhance her storytelling through spirited characterizations and a keen understanding of each person's relation to the overall work. Ideal for fans of historical fiction, coming-of-age tales, and tea." ( AudioFile)

Informative, Interesting, Intriguing

I learned a lot about the history of tea and the customs of this remote village. I was surprised that some of the customs were being practiced as recently as they were. I loved the story and the main character, Li-Yan. She was intelligent, dutifully paid for the mistakes she made. She persevered, remained true to her heritage. Loved the ending. Satisfying and not drawn out.

Loved tea girl

This was a fabulous book, with many layers. It gave an interesting look into the world of tea growing, and a perspective on adoption. My only complaint is the ending seemed abrupt, while hinting at the future of the characters.

The best!!

I could hear or read this book over and over again! It was so engaging and I learned so much about the tea growing process!

lovely story!

I loved this story. so interesting to learn the history of tea! the family dynamic was good, learning about the different areas and the way each interacted together was also very interesting. I would recommend!

made me look at tea in a whole new way!

Really, really enjoyed this book, mostly because it told a story about a world I knew nothing about, tea picking tribes in China. Loved the descriptions of daily life, found it really fascinating! Didn't like the whole (SPOILER!!!) aopted child story line. which was a shame because it was such a large part of the book. The thing that annoyed me most was that this very clever girl never bothered to learn even ONE word of Chinese. Anyway: great book, great reader!

Just as good 2nd time!

Enjoyed last spring, Lisa See is a great storyteller with a mix of cultural anthropological detail that supports nuanced characters. This novel has a particular blend of paralleling cultural differences in late 20th century rural China, to the modernism of post cultural-rev urban change, Chinese wealth and international adoption in LA. What seemed longer in first read felt just right this time for book group. Beautifully researched, full characters, fine complex storytelling.

Excellent book

This is such a beautiful story I can’t wait for the sequel. I would recommend this book to Amy if my reader friend

slow at first but a.good investment of time

use the credit !
stop second guessing yourself .
you won't be sorry !
great read

My heart

Excellent story - you can feel the feelings from the characters. It completely brought me into their world and was wonderful story.

Couldn’t Stop Reading From Start to Finish

Excellent book, excellent narration. I read/listen to at least one book a month, it has been at least 12 months since I have found a book that I could not put down from start to finish until now. I will definitely read more books by this Author.