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madelinelindy's review against another edition
While the book is beautifully worded with gorgeous imagery, the same care isn’t shown to the five main characters. They’re so rapidly moved between they blur together into one person. The author focuses so deeply on the grief associated with growing up and being the children of immigrants, the heist is so secondary you forget that it’s even the major selling point of the book.
Major portion of the book are repetitive and the entire heist subplot is more stealing from the principals office than mutltimillion dollar “project”. The characters themselves added little to the plot since it was mostly their inner struggles about growing up and not knowing who they were.
Overall, this was not a heist book or even that tense of a book since the heist were barely touched upon.
Major portion of the book are repetitive and the entire heist subplot is more stealing from the principals office than mutltimillion dollar “project”. The characters themselves added little to the plot since it was mostly their inner struggles about growing up and not knowing who they were.
Overall, this was not a heist book or even that tense of a book since the heist were barely touched upon.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation and Cultural appropriation
Minor: Death of parent and Cancer
yvonne_cl's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
slow-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
4.25
Content Warnings
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
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation and Racism
Moderate: Death of parent, Xenophobia, and Grief
clarathromycin's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- 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? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Trafficking and Colonisation
Moderate: Classism
Minor: Death of parent
serena_hien's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
reflective
fast-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation and Racism
Moderate: Xenophobia
Minor: Death of parent
theespressoedition's review against another edition
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- 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
I absolutely love a good heist story, that's for sure. I've watched Oceans 11 more times than I can count. I was practically raised on it. I've always found the intricacies behind a job like this to be utterly fascinating. So, you can understand how this book piqued my interest.
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!
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!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation and Racism
Minor: Cursing and Death of parent
aweekinthelife's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Colonisation
Minor: Death of parent
mandkips's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Death of parent
Moderate: Xenophobia, Cursing, Colonisation, and Grief
cozyreadsandcoffee's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
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
4.5
This book is not what you expect! It is not just a heist book.
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
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Racism, and Death of parent
Moderate: Grief, Xenophobia, and Cursing
jazhandz's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
A really lovely book about diaspora and immigrant identity and unfortunately not really about heists. The characters are hit-or-miss and the writing was so dreamlike that the stakes never felt real or present. All in all a good book but not one that’ll stick with me deeply.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation
Moderate: Death of parent