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laurenkimoto's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
This book had me in a choke hold from the second line when the museum being robbed is the Sackler Museum.
You think this is going to be a fun little heist book but noooo this book delves into what it means to be Chinese American, the ties you have to your ancestry, to love others, colonialism and it’s role in art and museums and so much more.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Colonisation, Hate crime, Racism, and Cultural appropriation
Minor: Death of parent and Gaslighting
azrah786's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
**I was provided with an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**
CW: racism, parent death, grief, alcohol
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I found this book quite slow to get through so I’m finding it hard to pinpoint my exact feelings on it but I did enjoy it!
The book follows a group of Asian American college students who join forces to steal back Chinese art from Western museums and I’m going to straight up say that you have to kind of dispel reality a little going in.
The heist action doesn’t have that big of a focus in the book which was definitely not what I was expecting but the overarching storyline still has a film-like quality to it.
What makes this book shine are the nuanced characterisations. Li’s prose is utterly compelling and beautifully narrates the multifaceted diaspora experience through each of the main characters. However, their individual musings also got quite repetitive which I think was a big reason why sometimes the book felt like stretch to get through.
Though I’ll admit the repetitiveness did help to emphasise the characters dreams and aspirations for themselves as well as the whimsiness of the whole situation too and I know all of their individual stories will stick with me for a long time.
Final Rating – 3.75 / 5 Stars
CW: racism, parent death, grief, alcohol
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I found this book quite slow to get through so I’m finding it hard to pinpoint my exact feelings on it but I did enjoy it!
The book follows a group of Asian American college students who join forces to steal back Chinese art from Western museums and I’m going to straight up say that you have to kind of dispel reality a little going in.
The heist action doesn’t have that big of a focus in the book which was definitely not what I was expecting but the overarching storyline still has a film-like quality to it.
What makes this book shine are the nuanced characterisations. Li’s prose is utterly compelling and beautifully narrates the multifaceted diaspora experience through each of the main characters. However, their individual musings also got quite repetitive which I think was a big reason why sometimes the book felt like stretch to get through.
Though I’ll admit the repetitiveness did help to emphasise the characters dreams and aspirations for themselves as well as the whimsiness of the whole situation too and I know all of their individual stories will stick with me for a long time.
Final Rating – 3.75 / 5 Stars
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Death of parent, Grief, and Alcohol
amandas_bookshelf's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, and Racism
Moderate: Death of parent
sfbookgirl's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
As the debate about returning artworks and artifacts to their rightful owners/countries is an extremely popular talking point in the art world today, Portrait of a Thief is more current than ever. The novel centers around five college students who are hired by a private Chinese art collector to steal artwork from various museums around the world and return them to China. The book is set up to be a *great* movie or show and already happens to be in the works with Netflix. That said, the book fell pretty flat for me and I was irked by the over-romanticism of the Bay Area…I get picky about how people write about where I grew up.
While I didn’t find the stakes high enough for these college kids (what student doesn’t want money?), Portrait of a Thief is a quick read with short chapters that are easy to inhale. Although it was easy to finish in a couple of sittings, I found a lot of the information about the characters to be repetitive and didn’t allow the characters to grow or develop. I ended up skimming the book towards the end only to encounter a dull ending that leaves readers with an unsatisfied experience. All and all, I was looking for some more action and a bit less description of the Bay Area’s rolling, golden hills and furniture-less apartments.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Death of parent, Grief, and Racism
Moderate: Xenophobia and Cursing
mar's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Colonisation, and Death of parent
Minor: Racism
sophiareadswaytoomuch's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book is fantastic. I loved both the characters and the world they inhabit.
I read most of it in one sitting. It was a very fun, power fantasy type book. There is a certain amount of suspension of disbelief required, but for me, for this book, that was part of the appeal.
I personally enjoyed how the writing style contributed to the overall tone of the book. While the writing style is not perfect from a critic/technical standpoint (I’ve seen some people say the wiring is too poetic/flowery) it worked perfectly for me. The pacing was a little bit odd, but it worked for the story being told.
I actually loved how the heist storyline was resolved- getting caught (though the lowkey betrayal of Daniel’s dad was… heartbreaking); breaking into the Met; releasing all that information about shady museum practices. Incredible. So much fun.
I understand why it was not for some people: it’s a very ambitious book, and from the reviews I’ve read I think the marketing focus on the heist aspect left a few people disappointed. While this book is about a heist, it’s more about what the heist means for each character and their connections to each other and their shared and unique cultural heritage. As well as some fun heist moments.
I can’t express how much fun I had reading this book. I laughed, I cried, I contemplated existence. It might be a cliche, but I could tell every part of this book was written with love.
It was also an interesting view into Chinese culture, particularly the diaspora living in America, which I am not personally very familiar with. I enjoyed the unpacking of both cultural and heist stereotypes, and the diverse range of both characters and worldviews represented. I loved each character for different reasons- though sometimes their decisions stressed me out a fair bit. I loved all of their character arcs, and I felt like they each got a decent amount of ‘screen time’, especially for such a large main cast. All in all, an extremely fun and interesting debut novel. I’ll definitely be looking out for more from this author.
I read most of it in one sitting. It was a very fun, power fantasy type book. There is a certain amount of suspension of disbelief required, but for me, for this book, that was part of the appeal.
I personally enjoyed how the writing style contributed to the overall tone of the book. While the writing style is not perfect from a critic/technical standpoint (I’ve seen some people say the wiring is too poetic/flowery) it worked perfectly for me. The pacing was a little bit odd, but it worked for the story being told.
I understand why it was not for some people: it’s a very ambitious book, and from the reviews I’ve read I think the marketing focus on the heist aspect left a few people disappointed. While this book is about a heist, it’s more about what the heist means for each character and their connections to each other and their shared and unique cultural heritage. As well as some fun heist moments.
I can’t express how much fun I had reading this book. I laughed, I cried, I contemplated existence. It might be a cliche, but I could tell every part of this book was written with love.
It was also an interesting view into Chinese culture, particularly the diaspora living in America, which I am not personally very familiar with. I enjoyed the unpacking of both cultural and heist stereotypes, and the diverse range of both characters and worldviews represented. I loved each character for different reasons- though sometimes their decisions stressed me out a fair bit. I loved all of their character arcs, and I felt like they each got a decent amount of ‘screen time’, especially for such a large main cast. All in all, an extremely fun and interesting debut novel. I’ll definitely be looking out for more from this author.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Racism, and Colonisation
vaniavela's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- 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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, and Racism
Minor: Death of parent
Portrait of a Thief tells the story of 5 college students who receive a once-in-a-lifetime proposition: steal 5 Chinese sculptures and receive $10 million each. The heists are realistic, something you don't see often. Visualize this. They plan it all by watching Ocean's 11, discussing things via zoom, putting all their research and plans on a google drive, and keeping in touch via WhatsApp. Mind you, Portrait of a Thief is much more than that. We can examine issues regarding colonialism, immigration and identity. It is a critique of Western imperialism. I loved the multitude of identities we encountered. While I personally can't speak to the Chinese and Chinese-American representation in this book, I found it amazing to read. My problem is that it's hard for me to think that anyone would hire these random college kids to do something like this. It seems like an odds-on thing to me. The romantic subplots also seemed unnecessary to me, as they were poorly developed. Literally everyone ended up with someone in the group. The only one who didn't was Daniel. Something I also disliked a tiny bit was the attempt at Sapphic romance. I know it was somewhat enemies to lovers, but Irene literally kept insulting or being rude to Alex for no apparent reason. As a sapphic person, I wish I would have read the correct terms (lesbian, bisexual) because I was really confused. Also, I loved the writing in this book. If more books are written in the future, I will definitely read them. I'm sure it will make an interesting Netflix movie when adapted.ribs's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
for a debut, this book was grand and ambitious. i loved grace d. li’s writing style, it’s beautiful and coherent. i was surprised that this book was short considering it has a heist plotline with five different complex characters. suffice to say, the author did make it work. however, it felt lacking to me. the heist scenes felt so rushed, the action scenes are always cut short - i feel like i was missing out on something big even when i was reading the heist scenes. li focused more on the thoughts of the characters and gave less room for the actual action scenes. it feels like i’m barely catching up on all the things that are happening because they’re all going by so fast. she builds up scenes that are worth anticipating for only for me to come out dissatisfied at the end. moreover, for a book that has politics as the pillar of the main plotline, the discussion of politics seemed light and lazy, as if the author just brought out the “bringing back what’s ours” notion and went along with it — it is very difficult to discuss extensive politics in a 300-page novel, least of all in a debut but she tried, i’ll give her that.
the domestic ending was the saving grace of this book for me, apart from the characters. i did not feel severely attached to the characters but i love how li gave such details to their backgrounds to give them depth. i liked alex and irene the best and i love that they’re both queer serving enemies to lovers (plus points for that).
was this a good book? no. but it was definitely something!
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism
miriam_in_life's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Racism
savvyrosereads's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- 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
4.0
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!
Rating: 4/5 stars
Five friends—Will, the leader; his sister Irene, the con artist; Daniel, the future doctor with the precise hands of a thief; Alex, the (sort-of) hacker; and Lily, the getaway driver—form a heist crew to attempt to steal back priceless Chinese art once stolen from the Old Summer Palace. What follows is part coming-of-age story of identity and belonging and part heist novel.
My main thought the entire time I was reading was “I hope they turn this into a Netflix series” and it turns out they ARE, so first let me say how excited I am for that—while this book was fantastic, I am so excited to see these lush art vibes, captivating family dynamics, and sizzling romantic moments play out on-screen.
That said, let me repeat: the book. is. fantastic. It was a bit slower than I anticipated, with a fair amount of introspection from all the characters, but the commentary on identity and belonging and figuring out who you are as a young adult and almost-college-graduate is sheer perfection. I’m not a first generation immigrant, but can only imagine the added layer of meaning this book would have for me if I were. As it was, I still felt seen and understood in a way that happens only on the rarest of occasions.
If you want a rollicking nonstop action heist story, be warned that this isn’t it. But if you want a brilliantly written and highly relatable story with smart and well-developed characters, reflecting about politics, power, and the importance of art? Go grab this one now.
Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: immigrant narratives; the intersection of politics and art; lush artsy settings.
CW: Racism/colonialism.
Rating: 4/5 stars
Five friends—Will, the leader; his sister Irene, the con artist; Daniel, the future doctor with the precise hands of a thief; Alex, the (sort-of) hacker; and Lily, the getaway driver—form a heist crew to attempt to steal back priceless Chinese art once stolen from the Old Summer Palace. What follows is part coming-of-age story of identity and belonging and part heist novel.
My main thought the entire time I was reading was “I hope they turn this into a Netflix series” and it turns out they ARE, so first let me say how excited I am for that—while this book was fantastic, I am so excited to see these lush art vibes, captivating family dynamics, and sizzling romantic moments play out on-screen.
That said, let me repeat: the book. is. fantastic. It was a bit slower than I anticipated, with a fair amount of introspection from all the characters, but the commentary on identity and belonging and figuring out who you are as a young adult and almost-college-graduate is sheer perfection. I’m not a first generation immigrant, but can only imagine the added layer of meaning this book would have for me if I were. As it was, I still felt seen and understood in a way that happens only on the rarest of occasions.
If you want a rollicking nonstop action heist story, be warned that this isn’t it. But if you want a brilliantly written and highly relatable story with smart and well-developed characters, reflecting about politics, power, and the importance of art? Go grab this one now.
Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: immigrant narratives; the intersection of politics and art; lush artsy settings.
CW: Racism/colonialism.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Colonisation and Racism