The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See

 This is my second or third book by Lisa See and she never fails to deliver a compelling story while educating me about the complexity of Chinese culture. 

This story follows nearly the whole life of a girl who grows up in the late 1980s - early 1990s in a remote tea village in the mountains of China. She gives birth to a girl in Communist China and out of wedlock leading her to drop her off at an orphanage. Her life then takes quite the turns involving tea and being a women. 

This story is full of difficulty and uphill battles, making it feel very realistic and relatable. I learned so much about Chinese culture under the Communist regime while also falling even more in love with tea. 

I love the way she had two stories going on at the same time which made you never be able to put down the book. Using the first person for main character makes it feel so much more personal and connected to her. 

5/5 stars. 

Finish January 25, 2021. 

Comments

  1. AnonymousFebruary 13, 2021 at 7:43 AM

    That sounds so interesting. I definitely should learn more about Chinese culture. Haven't read many books in that genre. I don't know that I have read many books of characters living in a Communist Regime. I love tea too so I think I should add this to my list. One of the things I find with reading and just the world in general is there is so much knowledge to be gained out there, it's just discussing tea but there is so much to learn about it, the history, culture, people, the actual tea. Working in the schools I think that's one of the things I want to convey to kids, the idea of infinite knowledge.

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    Replies
    1. Martha D'AnnaFebruary 28, 2021 at 10:48 AM

      Yes, definitely!! Eastern culture is so different from how we live and it's so fascinating to read other perspectives on life. Anything by Lisa See is amazing and gives you a look into the culture as well as having a historical aspect. I like that term though, infinite knowledge.

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