Review of The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See
Note: I’ve had this review sitting in my drafts for a while alongside some other books I finished but haven’t gotten a chance to reflect on! I took on a lot last semester, so trying to find time for these little passions of mine has been tough. Regardless, hoping to update more consistently with the new year!
This book is automatically dear to my heart just based on the fact that one of my best friends chose and bought it for me alongside a shipment of matcha powder. As someone who loves tea, narratives centered on the experiences of womxn, and learning more about Chinese culture, this book was a mix of elements that I knew I’d enjoy. (On top of that, I am an IMMEDIATE sucker for mother/daughter stories...if you’ve ever watched Violet Evergarden, think episode 10). The writing itself was incredibly well researched. You can really tell that Lisa See put in the work to develop the complex relationship between tradition and modernization, and her detailed descriptions of the Akha minority, the tea industry, and the economic progression of China is evident. This solid background breathes more life into the story itself, grounding its otherwise emotionally focused narrator.
That being said, I did find the mini-interludes just a little distracting. While they were cute snippets that discussed the perspective of a Chinese-American adoptee, this transition was occasionally jarring. Given the way that the book ended on a relatively neat note despite time skips, I wish those interludes were more fleshed out. The ending was a little contrived, but it still left me feeling much more satisfied compared to the ending I had expected See to go through with. This is fiction after all, and I think the author’s choice to have the conclusion feel as though everything circles back is still nonetheless hopeful and endearing.
Overall, an impeccably researched novel that incorporates some of my favorite genres and themes: historical fiction, womxn’s fiction, tradition/progress, motherhood, contrasting the Asian and American AND the Asian-American experiences, with tea as a central, unifying force. THE TEA GIRL OF HUMMINGBIRD LANE was my first Lisa See novel, and its made me eager to read more of her work!
