My Rating: 5 stars
WOW!!! This was the first word that came to my mind after finishing this book. I honestly can’t remember the last time a work of fiction affected me as much on an emotional level as this book did. To say that I enjoyed this book is actually an understatement – more appropriately, I ADORED this book and absolutely savored every minute I spent reading it!
Let’s start with the premise of the book, which is essentially about a girl named Li-yan, who is from the ethnic minority tribe Akha in China. Her tribe resides in a remote Yunnan village called Spring Well, located in the Nannuo Mountains -- a land that is filled with tea trees, some of which date back hundreds, maybe even thousands, of years. Li-yan and her family are tea farmers who make their living by picking tea leaves and then selling them to the local tea collection center. Outside of their regular work as tea farmers, Li-yan’s A-ma (the Akha term for mother) is also a midwife, though in reality, she does so much more than just deliver babies – she is also the village healer of sorts who is able to treat all types of ailments with her special potions. When the story begins, Li-yan is 10-years-old and as the only daughter in the family (she has 3 older brothers), she is destined to follow in her A-ma’s footsteps in becoming a midwife. All Akha follow a strict set of rituals and traditions that have been passed on for generations and any deviation from these customs are viewed as “grave sins” that bring bad luck on the entire village. Depending on the severity of the “violation,” the wrong can be righted through cleansing ceremonies and offerings, with the worst punishment being banishment from the village. With her bold personality and a strong desire to become more than what her culture has destined her to be, Li-yan finds herself constantly defying the rules and “causing trouble to her family.” As we follow Li-yan from adolescence to adulthood, we bear witness to all the trials and tribulations she encounters in her life as she struggles to stay true to her Akha heritage while at the same time understanding that she must also adapt to the ever-changing world around her.
The above summary merely scratches the surface of what this book is about – there is so much more to the story than just a young girl’s coming of age journey. In addition to being a story about culture and tradition, family and relationships, fate and circumstances, love and the strong bond between mothers and daughters, there is also an exploration of the political, economic, and social issues in China throughout the nearly three decades that the story covers. The story itself is told mostly from Li-yan’s perspective, with some sections switching over to Li-yan’s long-lost daughter Haley’s perspective. In terms of setting, majority of the story takes place in China, though a good portion of the second half takes place in the United States (specifically in Southern California).
There are so many things I love about this book! The story is captivating, with the sections on family and the bond between mothers and daughters especially touching and endearing. I was moved to tears with the ending scene (which was at the same time poignant as well as powerful) and still felt a bit sad long after I finished reading the book, mostly because I had grown so attached to the characters and the story that I didn’t want it to end. The prose was beautiful, the characters were endearing, the story was fascinating, the historical aspects were well-researched and meticulously described – all things that set this book apart as exceptional!
This is actually my first time reading Lisa See’s books and I’m glad I started with this one due to how much I was able to relate to so many aspects of this book. As someone who grew up (and currently still lives) in Southern California, it was great fun reading through the second half of the book and recognizing every single place that was referred to (and not just the cities either – the restaurants and shops were places that I’ve been to numerous times). I’m also a tea lover (in fact, I’m drinking Pu’erh right now as I write this), so I really appreciated the detail in which the author described the tea making process and all the other aspects about tea, which was a fascinating read for me. On a deeper level, as a Chinese-American myself, I was able to relate to many of the societal struggles that both Li-yan and Haley went through in the story, as I’ve experienced some of those same struggles first-hand over the years. For me, it was wonderful to see a character like Li-yan – a strong woman who loves her family and embraces her heritage as part of who she is, but at the same time, doesn’t allow herself to be chained down to the rituals and traditions to the point that she is unable to accept anything else outside of them. I also appreciated how Li-yan was able to see her own flaws and mistakes she’d made in her life and owned up to them wholeheartedly. Another favorite character for me was Li-yan’s A-ma, who represented the steadfast adherence to cultural beliefs and customs, but at the same time, demonstrated how a mother’s unconditional love for her daughter can transcend all else.
I highly recommend this book, not just to Lisa See fans, but to anyone who likes a great story with cultural and historical significance as well as well-developed characters and also emotional depth. This is definitely one of my favorite books that I’ve read this year!
Received advance reader's copy from Scribner via NetGalley (expected publication date: March 21, 2017).
(Read in February 2017)
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