This year I’ve challenged myself to read fifty books. This is no easy task for a slow reader, especially since so many other things distract me. Through this blog, I’ll share the books I’m reading and keep myself on track. Please feel free to offer suggestions of books you’ve enjoyed!
Book Number: 32
The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane
by
Lisa See
The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane has everything I like in a novel. The characters were believable, unique, and compelling. The heroic ones have flaws, the villainous ones have likable qualities. The settings were interesting and easy to envision. There is a lot of history, ancient and modern. The plot moves along and keeps the reader engaged and wondering what the outcome will be.
The story begins in a remote Chinese village in 1988. Li-Yan is a young girl whose family is, as are all families in the area, tea farmers. Her mother is the most revered woman in the village because she is a midwife and medicine woman. The book is rich in the history and traditions of the Akha people. The tribe is steeped in folklore, superstition, religious beliefs, and ritual. Each person has a specific role and must not deviate from the prescribed way of life. There are many details about tea—how it is grown, picked, processed, and sold. The work is labor intensive and the results are dependent on weather and the economy.
Because the tribe is isolated it is insolated from the edicts of the communist regime. However, when a teacher is sent by the government to the village, he recognizes Li-Yan’s potential and encourages her to continue her schooling. Li-Yan gives birth to a daughter and refuses to follow the tribal custom of giving her over to be killed. Instead, she runs away leaving the child in an orphanage.
The story continues to show the hardships and success Li-Yan experiences as she becomes a businesswoman in the tea industry. She never forgets her daughter or her heritage. The daughter is adopted by an American family and her childhood is in sharp contrast to her mother’s. She is also on a quest to know her mother.
I recommend The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane to anyone who enjoys learning about other cultures, tea, and mother-daughter relationships.
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