Lisa SeeReviews

A fascinating read, set in mid-19th century China. I learned a lot, but felt at times like See struggled to build an actual narrative around the historical and cultural details she wanted to convey.½

Chinese-American author Lisa See was born in Paris but grew up in Los Angeles. Her latest novel, The Island of Sea Women, is set on Jeju island, off the coast of South Korea. It tells the story of Young-sook and Mi-ja, two friends who are part of the haenyeo, or diving collective, on Jeju. Jeju is a semi-matriarchal society, focussed on the women who do the physical work of diving and tending the fields while the men raise the children and cook dinner. The haenyeo are a close-knit group of strong women who can free dive up to 30 metres and withstand cold water temperatures for hours. They are trained to watch out for each other, listening for each woman’s distinctive sumbisori, or exhalation breath song, when she breaks the surface.

Young-sook and Mi-ja are best friends from age 7, despite Mi-ja being somewhat an outcast as her father was known to be a Japanese collaborator. The two are inseparable until a violent traumatic event tears them and their families apart.

The story begins in 1938 when the island is under Japanese occupation and many men have been conscripted to fight for the Japanese or work in their factories. Later follows the 4:3 incident or Jeju uprising in 1948 when up to 60,000 people were killed and another 40,000 fled to Japan in harsh reprisals for protesting against the division of Korea and the upcoming election. The election was held by the United Nations after the removal of the Japanese occupiers, but was only to be held on US controlled territory. The US installed a dictator, Rhee Syngman, who was a staunch anti-communist, in South Korea. His regime ruthlessly suppressed opponents who protested, asking for democratic elections, killing thousands on Jeju alone. The US were present, and if not directly responsible, certainly did not intervene to stop the brutality. The details of the uprising were suppressed by the South Korean government until an apology in 2003 for the massacre.

The story shifts between Young-sook and Mi-ja’s life on Jeju in the 1930s to 1950s and Young-sook’s meeting with an American family in 2018 when she is in her 80s. The story begins slowly but becomes more engrossing as it progresses. The events on Jeju are heartbreaking and it is hard not to shed a tear for Young-sook and Mi-ja. A worthwhile story that provides a fascinating insight into Jeju culture and history.

This book started off very slowly for me. I nearly gave up before I was 10% of the way done with the book (I went back to look at reviews from trusted friends to determine whether or not to keep going). Thankfully I made it over the hump and continued, because if I gave up it would have been my loss.

Lisa See once again beautifully describes the life of Li-yan, a young girl who is part of an enthnic minority in China known as the Akha. Li-yan's community makes their livlihood primarily by picking tea leaves, and See gives the reader rich descriptions of the tea industry in China.

Highly recommended for those who enjoy learning about other cultures.

4 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Scriber for a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

It took me a bit to get into this book - but in the end - I am glad that I continued to read it. This is my favourite of the books I've read by Lisa See. I would definitely recommend it.

Read the first hundred small-print pages, skimmed the rest. Dreary.

Yuxian is learning Chinese medicine from the grandmother that is raising her. She makes friends with Meiling and they vow to be forever friends. After entering an arranged marriage she tries to break free and maintain the friendship as Meiling becomes a mid-wife like her own mother. Twists and turns abound!

I very much enjoy Lisa See's books, especially Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, and I enjoyed this one also, but it's not her typical story. Who doesn't love reading about something new that they've never heard of before? I'd never heard of the haeneyo women of Jeju Island in S. Korea and their remarkable diving prowess. That and their matrifocal culture were interesting enough, but See also throws in the '4.3. Incident', which of course none of us learned about in school history because it was a criminal act to even speak of it until 2003. This book is chok full of new information that had me turning pages into the wee hours. (warning: about 2/3 of the way into the book are very graphic scenes of torture inflicted upon the Jeju people by the government. You can page through them without really missing anything of the story, as the events are summarized in subsequent chapters.)

This book was the choice of my book club. It is probably not a book I would have picked up on my own, but it turned out to be a good one. It tells the story of the women divers of Jeju, a Korean island. It starts in the 1930's when Korea was occupied by Japanese colonizers and continues to 2008. The culture of Jeju island was unique and "matrifocal," where the mother was considered the head of the household. Due to unusual historical circumstances, the women were the ones who went diving for seafood, the work that supported their families. It was difficult and dangerous work.

At the heart of the story is the friendship between two of the women, and the events that happened to break the friendship. We also see the progress of history and the world events that affected the island. It begins with the hated Japanese colonizers who are eventually replaced by mainland Korean and American occupiers after WWII. As much as the Japanese were despised, the post-war era is worse, with much unrest, fears of communism, and persecution of opposition leading to a massacre, known as the 4.3 Incident, which is a turning point for the story. We see how modernization impacts the unique culture of the island and how a way of life is lost. This story of lost culture is different from what we usually see, where colonizing Europeans disrupt native American/Eskimo culture or, as in the case of Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart, Africa. In this case, it is their countrymen, Koreans from the mainland, who are the primary agents of the change.

Lisa See does a beautiful job of showing us the way of life on Jeju and the relationships between the women and their families. There are a number of tragedies that befall the inhabitants of Jeju, and some of this is difficult to read. But the story was very engrossing, and I learned about a place and way of life that I had no idea existed.½

Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See

BIBLIOGRAPHIC DETAILS:
(Available as Print: ©; PUBLISHER: ; ISBN: ; PAGES: ; Unabridged.)
(Available as Digital: Yes)

*This version: Audio: ©3/21/2017; PUBLISHER: Simon & Schuster Audio; DURATION: 14:13:35; PARTS: 12; Unabridged

SUMMARY/ EVALUATION:
I so enjoyed this Audie Award Nominee, that I don’t want to give anything away—so the only thing I’ll point out was how prescient Ms. See was in tucking within the folds of this lovely story (written in 2017) a mention that China has been the source of all of the world’s pandemics. That was just an aside, and is not at all central to the plot however.

AUTHOR:
Lisa See (2/18/1955). According to en.wikidark.org, “Lisa See is an American writer and novelist. Her books include On Gold Mountain: The One-Hundred-Year Odyssey of My Chinese-American Family (1995), a detailed account of See's family history, and the novels Flower Net (1997), The Interior (1999), Dragon Bones (2003), Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (2005), Peony in Love (2007) and Shanghai Girls (2009), which made it to the 2010 New York Times bestseller list. Both Shanghai Girls and Snow Flower and the Secret Fan received honorable mentions from the Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature.”

NARRATOR(s): There is no listing that I can find, of which actor played which character so these are my best guesses:

Ruthie Ann Miles (4/21/1983). (Li-yan/Tina Chang & narration which includes other characters?) According to wikicelebs.com, Ruthie Ann “is a famous American actress and model from Arizona, USA. She is known in the Hollywood industry for her role of Rockaway Detective in the movie named "Elementary" in the year 2017. Before working in the movies, she used to work in the theaters.”

Kimiko Glenn (6/27/1989). (Character?) According to IMDb, Kimiko “Kimiko Elizabeth Glenn was born and raised in Phoenix, AZ, where she grew up with her sister Amanda, and parents Mark and Sumiko. She started doing theater when she was ten years old at Valley Youth Theatre and there, began developing her love for performing.
Halfway through her freshman year of college at the Boston Conservatory, she was cast in the 1st National Tour of Spring Awakening. After touring for two years, she finally settled her life in New York.”

Alex Allwine. (Character?) Some other books narrated by Alex are: The Chancellor Audiobook By Kati Marton; The Girls Are All So Nice Here By: Laurie Elizabeth Flynn; The End of Getting Lost A Novel
By: Robin Kirman; Storm Rising A Thriller By: Chris Hauty; Dark Horses A Novel By: Susan Mihalic; Mrs. Fletcher By: Tom Perrotta; Six Weeks to Live A Novel By: Catherine McKenzie; The Need By: Helen Phillips; Behind the Red Door A Novel By: Megan Collins; The Decameron Project 29 New Stories from the Pandemic By: The New York Times; Girl, Unframed By: Deb Caletti.

Gabra Zackman. (Character?) Gabra, according to tantor.com, “is the award-winning narrator of over 300 audiobooks and has been in the business since 2004, when she started recording for the National Library Service for the Blind (a program she still participates in). She is a classically trained actress who has been seen all over the country in theaters and occasionally on film or TV. Gabra is also an author and has penned the Bod Squad series, a funny and romantic spy caper series. She is based in New York City.”

Jeremy Bobb (5/13/1981). (Dr. Sheldon Katz) According to Wikipedia, Jeremy “is an American actor who has appeared on stage, television and in feature films. He had a recurring role in CBS's 2013 drama Hostages as White House Chief of Staff Quintin Creasy and co-starred as Herman Barrow in the Cinemax TV series The Knick.[1][2] In 2014, he played Stevie in the crime-drama film The Drop.[3] In 2019, Bobb appeared in the Netflix series Russian Doll.
He attended Otterbein University and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 2003.[4]”

Joy Osmanski . According to BEEAUDIO, Joy “Raised in Olympia, Washington, Joy graduated from the University of California, San Diego MFA Acting Program. Stage credits include Our Town, The Three Sisters, Romeo and Juliet, Major Barbara, and many others. Since moving to LA, Joy has worked consistently in television and film, appearing as a series regular or guest star in shows such as The Loop, The Fosters, Santa Clarita Diet, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and the FOX animated series Allen Gregory. She can be heard as the split-personality AI Failsafe in Destiny 2 and is the winner of three Earphones Awards. Joy is the stepmom to one teenager, mom to two toddlers, walker of one dog, and co-beekeeper (with her husband) of about 60,000 bees.”

Emily Watson (1/14/1967). According to Wikipedia, Emily “is an English actress. She began her career on stage and joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1992. In 2002, she starred in productions of Twelfth Night and Uncle Vanya at the Donmar Warehouse, and was nominated for the 2003 Olivier Award for Best Actress for the latter.
She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her debut film role as Bess McNeil in Lars von Trier's Breaking the Waves (1996) and for her role as Jacqueline du Pré in Hilary and Jackie (1998), winning the British Independent Film Award for Best Actress for the latter. For her role as Margaret Humphreys in Oranges and Sunshine (2010), she was also nominated for the AACTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role.
Her other films include The Boxer (1997), Angela's Ashes (1999), Gosford Park (2001), Punch-Drunk Love (2002), Red Dragon (2002), The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004), Corpse Bride (2005), Miss Potter (2006), Synecdoche, New York (2008), War Horse (2011), The Theory of Everything (2014), Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017) and The Happy Prince (2018). For her role in the HBO miniseries Chernobyl, she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award. She won the British Academy Television Award for Best Actress for playing Janet Leach in the 2011 ITV television biopic Appropriate Adult and was nominated for the International Emmy Award for Best Actress for the 2017 BBC miniseries Apple Tree Yard.”
Erin Wilhelmi. According to IMDb, “Erin Wilhelmi is known for her work in the films and television series The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012), The Knick (2014), Taxi Brooklyn (2014), Eye Candy (2015), Sweet, Sweet Lonely Girl (2016), and Unsane (2018). She was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. She made her Broadway debut in the 2016 Tony-nominated revival of Arthur Miller's The Crucible.”


GENRE:
Historical Fiction; Literature

SUBJECTS:
China; Pu-erh Tea;

DEDICATION:
“In memory of my mother, Carolyn See”

SAMPLE QUOTATION: From Part 1: “The Akha Way 1988-1990”, Chapter One: “A Dog on the Roof”
“What are you doing back there?” I ask.
He turns to me and grins. His cheeks are shiny with oil. Before he has a chance to speak, I hear A-ma calling.
“Girl! Girl! Stay near me.”
I scurry back across the courtyard, reaching my mother just as A-ba and my brothers exit the weighing area. They don’t look happy.
“We were too late,” A-ba says. “They already bought their quota for the day.”
I moan inwardly. We’re a family of eight adults and many children. It’s hard to live on what we earn during the ten days a year of prime tea picking, the two secondary picking times of another ten days each, plus what rice and vegetables we grow and what A-ba and my brothers provide through hunting. Now we’ll have to take the leaves home, hope they stay fresh, and then tomorrow morning—early-early—climb back up here and sell them before rotating to Second Brother’s tea garden to do our work for the day.
A-ma sighs. “Another double day tomorrow.”
The sisters-in-law bite their lips. I’m not looking forward to walking here twice tomorrow either. But when my second and third brothers won’t meet their wives’ eyes, I realize even worse news is coming.
“No need,” A-ba reveals. “I sold the leaves at half price.”
That’s only two yuan per kilo. The sound that comes from A-na is not so much a groan as a whimpter. All that work at half price. The two sisters-in-law slump off to a water spout to refil our earthenware jugs. The men drop to their haunches. My sisters-in-law return and give the water to the men. After that, the two women fold themselves down next to A-ma, adjust their babies in their swaddling, and give over their breasts for nursing. This is our rest before the more than two-hour walk downhill to Spring Well.
As the others relax, I wander back across the courtyard to the boy. “Are you going to tell me why you’re hiding back here:” I ask as though no time has passed.
“I’m not hiding,” he answers, although surely he is. “I’m eating my pancake. Do you want a bite?”
More than anything.
I glance over my shoulder to A-ma and the others. I’m not sure what’s wrong with me, but whatever started with my lies at breakfast continues now. I step behind the wall of bags that smell of freshly harvested tea leaves. Once I’m back there, the boy doesn’t seem sure of what should happen next. He doesn’t break off a piece for me nor does he hold it out for me to take. But he offered me a bite, and I’m going to get it. I bend at the waist, sink my teeth into the softness of the pancake, and rip off a mouthful—like I’m a dog snatching a scrap from his master’s hand.
“What’s your name?” he asks.
“Li-yan,” I answer, my mouth happily full. My given name is used only at school and for ceremonial purposes. In my village, people call me Daughter-of-Sha-li (my a-ba’s daughter) or Daughter-of-So-sa (my a-ma’s daughter). In my family, I am Girl.
“I’m called San-pa,” he says. “I’m from Shelter Shadow Village. My father is Lo-san. My grandfather was Bah-lo. My great-grand-father was Za-bah . . .”
Every Akha boy is trained to Recite the Lineage by naming his male ancestors back fifty generations—with the last syllable of one generation becoming the first syllable of the next generation. I think that’s what’s going to happen, when a woman’s voice—angry—interrupts him. “Here you are, you little thief!”
I turn to see the old Dai woman who runs the pancake stand looming between us and the open courtyard. She grabs the cloth of my tunic. Then, with her other hand, she takes hold of San-pa’s ear. He yowls as she drags us from our lair.”

RATING:
4 stars.

STARTED READING – FINISHED READING
2/21/2022 – 2/28/2022

I borrowed this book from my local library. It's a book club read for April 2024.

Haenyeo are the sea women of Jeju Island, a large isle off the coast of South Korea and near Japan. They are deep sea divers, a role traditionally given to women in the matrifocal society: the women are seen as physically superior in the water and therefore earn the family income, while men tend to the children and do housework (and often seem to become alcoholics). This book follows two best friends in a small village as they grow up in the 1930s and 1940s. Marriage and the Korean War bring devastating events to their families, tearing the two women apart, but the narrative continues up to the present day, when the haenyeo numbers are greatly diminished and regulated.

The subject matter of this book was absolutely new to me, and fascinating. I'm not so fond of books about drama between people who just aren't paying attention, so I found that frustrating. The book goes quite dark as it addresses atrocities during the Korean War--it truly depicts the horrors of war. I was disgusted, but unsurprised, to discover America's role in it.

I wouldn't have picked this up if not for the book club, and I feel like I learned a lot.

This is primarily a fascinating story of Pu'er, a valuable and possibly medicinally useful tea, and a family in the Chinese province of Yunan whose fortune is determined by the world's discovery and appreciation of it. Li-yan is the only daughter of an Akha family in Springwell Village, in the mountains of southwest China in the1980s - 1990s, where all live at poverty level, ignoring the older growth trees in favor of terrace-grown tea, until the arrival of a tea connoisseur from Han-majority China that changes the trajectory of the village. The stories of the political climate and the customs and superstitions of the Akha people, considered part of the "hill tribes", ethnic minorities, are fascinating, and the first part of the book, from Li-yan's viewpoint, touchingly tells of her love for a ne'er-do-well boy from a neighboring village, her pregnancy, the abandonment of her daughter, the downfall of their eventual marriage, and her brilliant success in the Pu'er business and in America. The story is greatly weakened when Li-yan's daughter Haley, adopted by affluent American academics, is introduced. The inevitability of Haley's scientific interest in tea to force a reunion is a weak plot point, and Haley's privileged American life a distraction from the much more riveting tea universe. The audio was nicely done, except for Haley's voice, which was annoyingly babyish and stayed that way even as she turned 21.

China,Mothers,Daughters

Five stars ! Reading across the year, this was my choice for the Lunar New Year. The history of China during the Great Leap Forward, as well as family turmoil and reunification are operated in this heart wrenching, beautiful book.

Lisa See consistently writes stories about women and their family struggles while also providing a history lesson about events I was not aware of. This heartbreaking novel not only tells about strong, independent women divers in Jeju Island but also how history can drastically affect both families and friendship. I definitely recommend it; be forewarned that it is a tear-jerker.

"Friendship is a contract between two hearts. With hearts united, women can laugh and cry, live and die together". (p. 70)
Lisa See is one of my favorite authors and it is her best work so far! She takes you into the world of 15th-century China. The vivid characters and intriguing story make it a page-turner!
Yunxian was trained to be a doctor to women. Her mother-in-law forbids this.
As her mother taught her.."Always remember your place in the world. If you follow these rules you will establish yourself as a true and proper human being." (p. 5)
Her friendship with Meiling and her appreciation for the other supportive women in her "circle" help Yunxian find her voice and live a purposeful life.
It's obvious that the author thoroughly researched Chinese culture, society, food, tea, and medicine. She always does. That's why I respect her as an author; it's also what really brings the reader so deeply into the story. She can really develop a strong sense of place. In addition, she writes characters the reader cares about. I'm proud to say that I recommended this to my book club. Five stars
"It takes a lifetime to make a friend, but you can lose one in an hour...Life without a friend is life without sun. Life without a friend is death." p.256

Enjoyed but is the least favourite of the Lisa See books I’ve read to date.

Digital audiobook narrated by Jodi Long

This work of historical fiction begins in 1938. Three young women – Helen Fong, Grace Lee and Ruby Tom – meet just as the World’s Fair is set to begin on Treasure Island. They’re from different backgrounds but all are drawn to the glamorous Forbidden City nightclub by their dreams of success. World War II will soon interrupt their career paths, and their friendship will suffer, but they will endure. See follows the young women through the war years and includes an epilogue set in 1988.

I really enjoyed this book. I was in vested in these young women and their aspirations. While my background is different from theirs, we share the push/pull of traditional culture (and the expectations that result) vs the desire to see our dreams fulfilled. I loved, also, the detail See included from costumes to scenery to social issues – these elements really took me back to this era and culture.

See invented her heroines and the majority of characters, but includes a number of actual performers / entertainers of the time period. She did extensive research, including many in-person interviews with now elderly past performers on the “Chop Suey Circuit.”

Jodi Long does a marvelous job of narrating the audiobook. I admit, however, that I sometimes didn’t pay close enough attention to which character was narrating which chapter. (See does state the character at the beginning of each chapter.) Until I got used to the constant changing of point of view, I found myself occasionally confused. That was my fault, not Long’s narration.

Great story

See captures the intensity of the accepted culture of brutality and slavery of women in China in the middle ages. She focuses on the wisdom and caring of the few brilliant female doctors who have studied the science of botany and biology, and the many mid-wives who attend the imperial court's women, and the women of high-ranking officials.

Reading about food-binding rationalized as a way to express love to future husbands is deeply disturbing. Men are definitely NOT the Sun or Heavens to be worshipped. Who came up with this nonsense which continues today throughout the world?

Women need to support and defend each other as did Meiling and Lady Tan, and their circle of friends.

I agree with reviewer ChristineMiller47.½

I felt living in the 15th century, a travel to the old Chinese culture and the hurdles of woman.
Very beautiful book

Absolutely loved it. Beautifully written and such a strong ending.

Fascinating, well researched and most enlightening. Loved it! Lisa See's website and fb page offers additional information on this book. I also looked at a couple of interviews with Lisa on YouTube. This was a Bookclub read and we had a great discussion and glimpse into 15-16th Century China.

This book was interesting. The character portrayals were well done and the setting was researched and believable [though not always pretty!]. While I enjoyed reading about an empowered woman, there were still many unsettling historical realities that I cannot say that I enjoyed the book. That said, the writing was enjoyable even if some of the historical facts were unappealing.

Set on the Korean island of Jeju, this multi-generational story spans a period of approximately 70 years, from the late 1930s to 2008. The novel follows the lives of two women in a fascinating matrifocal society who are haenyeo, elite women divers who can hold their breath for long periods and withstand cold water temperatures, and become caught up in the 4.3 Uprising against the Japanese occupiers in the late 1940s (another genocidal massacre largely unknown to the world) and the Korean War. The events strain the once-close relationship of the central characters, and the book explores betrayals and the difficulty of forgiveness both on the personal level and the political. Beautifully written, as all of Lisa See's works are.

A mother and daughter, enduring the anguish of the daughter’s foot binding and what turns out to be an infection in the mother’s feet, comprise the first scene in this historical fiction novel based on the case journals of a real Chinese woman doctor, Tan Yunxian, during the Ming dynasty. The mother, called Respectful Lady, admonishes her daughter to never forget: “Whether animal or woman, we are a man’s possessions. We women exist to give him heirs and feed, clothe and amuse him.” When her mother dies from the foot infection, Yunxian is shipped off to live with her grandparents, who are both doctors and willing to teach her the healing arts. Accordingly, she begins a long medical apprenticeship, working frequently with a midwife, Meiling, who she befriends despite their vast class difference. At the heart of this novel is the titular circle of women who support each other through their trials. Page turner for me.