Reviews

Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li

callikreutz's review against another edition

adventurous informative inspiring 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? N/A

3.75

bookishlysophie's review against another edition

emotional reflective tense 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? It's complicated

2.75

I loved the characters in this book, who were complicated, beautiful and intriguing in equal measures. It was the plot that I didn’t quite feel was fully fleshed out and not what I expected, therefore I felt lost at times. I’d still recommend.

warandpeace's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

many gripes with this one. i was expecting a more well researched and in depth discussion of museum ethics and collecting because it’s the premise of the book, but no such luck. the most egregious part was will, with only a bachelors in art history and no experience, interviewing for an assistant curator position at the met. very much a first novel. hated that every lily chapter began with a paragraph about growing up in galveston. WE GET IT! the writing felt very clunky and twitter activist-y. 

zimm_liz's review against another edition

adventurous fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

claireviolet's review against another edition

3.5

this is so fun and charming! the book feels like it wants to be grand and sweeping, in a way that reminds me of the way i felt when i was on the edge of twenty. i think the execution was just okay and that the five povs really bled into one another since every character’s voice was so similar to the rest, but i want more books to be overly ambitious and to swing big as bravely as li does here. i look forward to reading whatever she writes next. 

hamtaro's review against another edition

inspiring 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? Yes

3.5

cgnick's review against another edition

Poorly written, repetitive and self-absorbed. Seems like it's been written by AI, repeating the same foreshadowing thought ("China or USA") in almost every chapter. I did not care about any of the characters.

vagabondophelia's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.25

77emily's review against another edition

adventurous

3.75

nakaawang's review against another edition

3.0

i don't personally relate to the diaspora. i'm a full-blooded filipino who lives in the philippines. but the conversations about colonization, about the europeans and the western conquerors claiming pieces of a culture that isn't theirs, i relate to that.

the heist itself was amazing. truly. but strangely enough, and against my expectations when i first went into this book, i found myself absolutely engrossed in the characters. i'm not obsessed with them the way i usually am with other books i've loved, but they're more like museum paintings i personally identify with and find enthralling, but i won't be proclaiming my love for them to the world. they'll remain in my head, i'll always be thinking about them and how wonderfully written and developed they were. (NOTE: i absolutely ADORED alex and irene's dynamic. the CHEMISTRY?? the etl realness??? they're amazing).

overall, this was SO so good. portrait of a thief's the only 2022 book that i was looking forward to last year. the cover hooked me and the plot never let me go. i'm so happy to find that i was not disappointed, at all :))

grace d. li, ily queen.