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lauraslibrarycard 's review for:
The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane
by Lisa See
This book felt incredibly long and was boring as fuck. Even though we follow our main character Li-yan for 20 years of her life or more, I didn't feel like I really knew what she thought or felt other than pride, shame, and a love for tea. Maybe if I had had more interest in China or tea before I started this book I could have been more invested? I certainly know more now but I definitely don't care any more!
On the one hand, it was interesting to read about a people's customs and beliefs that are different to how I was raised, and even to follow a main female character who learns that her religious beliefs don't make much sense / she gains an education and begins to move beyond her upbringing. But these settings and the situations where we see the traditional practices were extremely difficult to read. It was difficult to remember that it was the 1990s instead of the 1800s. Purposely killing babies and banishing people and having so many ritual cleansings Etc was extremely unpleasant to read even if historically accurate. This was a marked juxtaposition with later in the book when the town begins to have some wealth and everyone is suddenly watching TV and forgetting about all of the ancient ways...
The main character's first husband was obviously a good for nothing guy, whereas her second husband had absolutely no personality and only functioned to be a wallet to solve problems with money. Maybe having an actual second point of view in the daughter Haley instead of just mixed media could have made this better?? Overall this was a pointless book where I was extremely bored, there were clichés and coincidences galore and the abrupt ending made me want to throw the book across the room.
Other reviewers mostly seem to love this, many say that the first half is better than the second half which I do agree with. I find also some reviews that claim that the plot was too long, winding, repetitive and there was overall a major loss of or lack of tension. I think the biggest problem throughout (pointed out in a couple of other reviews) is that the character work throughout this book is what is so weak. Li-yan doesn't seem to really grow or change and is passive throughout which made it difficult to give a shit about her. She never really acknowledges things from her past like how the twin babies were 'human rejects' and were killed, later she simply says "well we don't do that anymore". And despite growing up and feeling like a second class citizen and how women were valued less than men, during her second pregnancy she is absolutely desperate to have a son and does not want a girl?? There is so much missed opportunity for character growth and arc.
On the one hand, it was interesting to read about a people's customs and beliefs that are different to how I was raised, and even to follow a main female character who learns that her religious beliefs don't make much sense / she gains an education and begins to move beyond her upbringing. But these settings and the situations where we see the traditional practices were extremely difficult to read. It was difficult to remember that it was the 1990s instead of the 1800s. Purposely killing babies and banishing people and having so many ritual cleansings Etc was extremely unpleasant to read even if historically accurate. This was a marked juxtaposition with later in the book when the town begins to have some wealth and everyone is suddenly watching TV and forgetting about all of the ancient ways...
The main character's first husband was obviously a good for nothing guy, whereas her second husband had absolutely no personality and only functioned to be a wallet to solve problems with money. Maybe having an actual second point of view in the daughter Haley instead of just mixed media could have made this better?? Overall this was a pointless book where I was extremely bored, there were clichés and coincidences galore and the abrupt ending made me want to throw the book across the room.
Other reviewers mostly seem to love this, many say that the first half is better than the second half which I do agree with. I find also some reviews that claim that the plot was too long, winding, repetitive and there was overall a major loss of or lack of tension. I think the biggest problem throughout (pointed out in a couple of other reviews) is that the character work throughout this book is what is so weak. Li-yan doesn't seem to really grow or change and is passive throughout which made it difficult to give a shit about her. She never really acknowledges things from her past like how the twin babies were 'human rejects' and were killed, later she simply says "well we don't do that anymore". And despite growing up and feeling like a second class citizen and how women were valued less than men, during her second pregnancy she is absolutely desperate to have a son and does not want a girl?? There is so much missed opportunity for character growth and arc.