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.
“The story begins small, plunging us into the immersive detail of a
single grueling day picking tea with the young girl, Li-yan, her
mother, A-ma, and the rest of their ethnic minority Akha
family…What makes life bearable for the Akha is their belief
system, which infuses every aspect of their daily lives. The
full sweep of their practices is flawlessly embedded in See’s
prose…The hardships that confront Li-yan in her life are as
compelling as the fog-shrouded secret groves where she and her
mother cultivate a special healing tea. I could have hung out
here in remote China forever, but See has wider ground to cover,
including Chinese adoption, the international fine tea market and
modern Chinese migration to the United States… A lush tale infused
with clear-eyed compassion, this novel will inspire reflection,
discussion and an overwhelming desire to drink rare Chinese
tea.”
–Helen Simonson, The Washington Post
“One of the fascinating elements of See’s epic novel is the
contrast between the isolated lives of the Akha and the globalized
world of China’s larger cities — a contrast bridged by tea…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…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.”
—Emily Gray Tedrowe, USA Today
“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
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