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yvonne_cl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Colonisation, Xenophobia, and Grief
Moderate: Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Cultural appropriation, and Racism
Minor: Hate crime
erinmjustice's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Colonisation and Racism
Moderate: Death of parent, Xenophobia, and Grief
emilia_thereader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Death of parent and Racism
serena_hien's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Colonisation and Racism
Moderate: Xenophobia
Minor: Death of parent
theespressoedition's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
One of the first things I notice in heist books is that they're slow. Okay, that's a no-brainer, I get it. When you watch a movie with this plot, you have to follow all the subtleties before the main event happens. And somewhere in the midst of all those slow moments of learning how security works, watching an acrobat fit themselves into a box, or learning who to play to get what you want, you get the full story. It's thrilling! It's like a giant puzzle where everything gets put together very slowly and you're in on the secret of how it was accomplished.
I think when you read a book that revolves around a heist, it takes a little of the excitement out of it. Sure, it's interesting knowing how each person accomplishes their task, but it's not quite as cool as watching it happen. For some, it might be the opposite. They love reading about the emotions going on in a certain character's head or seeing how an element comes to pass because of an experience someone had as a kid. For me, it's harder to connect. I lose myself in trying to figure out what will happen next, rather than focusing on the details happening in the now.
ALL THAT BEING SAID: I did find Portrait of a Thief to be truly fascinating. While a bit slow, it was very smart. It had so many elements that didn't necessarily make sense separately, but once it all came together, it caused an "a-ha!" moment that was super satisfying.
I believe that anyone can relate to someone in this book. That's the beauty of multiple POVs! You can very quickly determine favorites and least favorites in a cast when you know what's happening in the minds of each and every one of them. I think that might've been my favorite part about this. It wasn't so much the heist itself that was interesting so much as the way the characters themselves played into it.
There was definitely a deeper conversation happening behind-the-scenes in this book. I can't particularly relate with or touch on this because it's not an OwnVoices review, but I did find it to be an interesting element and I really learned a lot from the experiences of the different characters.
I can see why this book quickly gained the attention it did. It absolutely deserves it! While I wouldn't say it's my favorite of all time and I'm not sure I'd be scrambling to read it again, I certainly appreciate the intelligent style of writing and unique story!
Graphic: Colonisation and Racism
Minor: Cursing and Death of parent
mandkips's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Racism and Death of parent
Moderate: Xenophobia, Cursing, Colonisation, and Grief
cozyreadsandcoffee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Have you ever thought about how all the historical artifacts in museums got to where they are at? [most] museums are a face for stolen goods [Just FYI the Rosetta stone is apparently one of them] It is interesting because I think we always think about the item itself over how it got there.
This story follows five people of Chinese descent who actually take action. However this isn't just about the heist itself. It is about how each person got to where they are in life, and the struggles of feelings of not belonging.
At times, I felt like it was dragging a bit, but at moments I couldn't put this book down
Graphic: Colonisation, Racism, and Death of parent
Moderate: Grief, Xenophobia, and Cursing
noyastan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Minor: Death of parent, Grief, and Racism
kitausu's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Really interesting premise with some fascinating things to say about colonialism and diaspora, just advertised so poorly.
Graphic: Colonisation and Racism
thewordsdevourer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
the book's built on a flimsy foundation, and how things develop just dont make sense. for example, that a billionaire art thief chooses will for a $50 mil job literally just bc he's chinese-american - having not an idea whether he'll have the skills to pull it off - is ludicrous to me. some of the crew agreeing to the job bc of will's sheer charisma is also far-fetched bc he has no charisma whatsoever.
moreover, this is a heist story, but the writing's totally unsuited for it. there are wayyy too many ~reflective~ moments - most of them being the same thing said over and over again in a slightly modified way - and it's all overdramatic and lamentative. tbh this book's more like a volume of the characters' emo introspection peppered w/ some action, so infrequently we ever get out of their heads. there's way too much boring stuff and not enough of the fun ones. i also think this book's written in a very amateur way, a playbook of a failed show-not-tell esp when the phrase "it goes like this..." is a given in almost every chapter.
as a result, the whole story falls flat for me, including the characters who im impartial to; i simply dont feel anything reading this. again, the tell-not-show approach also means li couldnt be more heavy-handed w/ the themes, which could benefit from more subtle exploration.
although the last couple chapters are markedly better than the rest of the book, they arent enough to save it. this is a novel brimming w/ potential, one that could def be sth better in more adept hands. alas, that cant be helped and this is what we get.
Moderate: Grief, Racism, Chronic illness, and Colonisation
Minor: War and Death of parent