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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
it definitely could’ve benefited from another round of editing
“Museums and shattered glass, Paris and street races in the glittering dark.”
Thank you to Netgalley and Tiny Reparations Books for providing me with an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.
Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li is all of your favorite heist movies combined into one thrilling, scenic novel. This book has everything you could ever want from high-stakes theft, an ensemble cast of unique characters, women kissing women, and reparations for art stolen.
The thing I loved most about Portrait of a Thief was that I never had any idea what was going to happen next. Truly. I spent half the book thinking maybe these college students with unimaginable dreams would get away with their crimes, and half the book thinking there was no way in hell they’d come out unscathed. Somehow, I was wrong the entire time.
When an author writes a book with an ensemble cast of characters, each one having POVs, it isn’t uncommon for the complexity of some of the characters to be lost, or overshadowed by the significance of the others. This, however, wasn’t a problem in Portrait of a Thief. Each character was developed with a careful balance, each one attended to perfectly. I felt like I completely understood the motives of the whole crew of thieves, their dreams and desires, and yet they still managed to surprise me along the way. It takes true talent to write something so delicate.
The aesthetics of the book were so beautiful, so perfect, it created an incredibly vivid image in my mind of the scenery, of the emotions of every chapter, every moment. It felt like I was watching a movie inside my head.
The only complaint I had while reading is that I felt some moments dragged on a bit too long, and I found myself wanting to skip some of the internal monologue that repeated itself occasionally throughout the story. I think, if I could, I would rate this book 4.5 stars.
Grace D. Li spun glittering miracles while writing Portrait of a Thief, and I was entranced by the sheer talent I saw in these pages. I would recommend this book to people that love art, and those that find themselves falling for the criminal against all better judgement.
If you’d like to hear what I think about other books, subscribe to my Youtube Channel, Lipstick & Literature!
Thank you to Netgalley and Tiny Reparations Books for providing me with an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.
Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li is all of your favorite heist movies combined into one thrilling, scenic novel. This book has everything you could ever want from high-stakes theft, an ensemble cast of unique characters, women kissing women, and reparations for art stolen.
The thing I loved most about Portrait of a Thief was that I never had any idea what was going to happen next. Truly. I spent half the book thinking maybe these college students with unimaginable dreams would get away with their crimes, and half the book thinking there was no way in hell they’d come out unscathed. Somehow, I was wrong the entire time.
When an author writes a book with an ensemble cast of characters, each one having POVs, it isn’t uncommon for the complexity of some of the characters to be lost, or overshadowed by the significance of the others. This, however, wasn’t a problem in Portrait of a Thief. Each character was developed with a careful balance, each one attended to perfectly. I felt like I completely understood the motives of the whole crew of thieves, their dreams and desires, and yet they still managed to surprise me along the way. It takes true talent to write something so delicate.
The aesthetics of the book were so beautiful, so perfect, it created an incredibly vivid image in my mind of the scenery, of the emotions of every chapter, every moment. It felt like I was watching a movie inside my head.
The only complaint I had while reading is that I felt some moments dragged on a bit too long, and I found myself wanting to skip some of the internal monologue that repeated itself occasionally throughout the story. I think, if I could, I would rate this book 4.5 stars.
Grace D. Li spun glittering miracles while writing Portrait of a Thief, and I was entranced by the sheer talent I saw in these pages. I would recommend this book to people that love art, and those that find themselves falling for the criminal against all better judgement.
If you’d like to hear what I think about other books, subscribe to my Youtube Channel, Lipstick & Literature!
interesting frame for considering experiences of those in Asian diaspora, liked interwoven discussion of generational effects of colonialism, racism etc. but pacing was not great, book was too long and tangential (in places), and character voices were often not distinguishable - lending to a sense that none were really fully fleshed out
'How could he explain how it felt to know, with a terrible and unflinching certainty, that you were not enough for your dreams.'
'She could never be Chinese enough for China. She could never be American enough for here.'
'Art could be beauty, but it was also power. Look, it demanded, and don't turn away.'
Really enjoyed the writing style but it was a little repetitive and I wanted a little more tension.
'She could never be Chinese enough for China. She could never be American enough for here.'
'Art could be beauty, but it was also power. Look, it demanded, and don't turn away.'
Really enjoyed the writing style but it was a little repetitive and I wanted a little more tension.
On premise alone, this is extremely my shit. Absolutely love hot geniuses with sexual tension doing an art heist rooted in anti-colonialism. But in terms of execution, things fell apart a bit for me. Nearly every page seemed to have a description of the light, the air, or how someone's skin was handling the light or the air. Sometimes all of the above. My brain can handle a lot, but I could only take so many instances of "washed in golden light." Like, at a certain point, I just assumed it was all golden light or moonlight or some combination of the two. It distracted me from what at its core, could have been a rich interweaving of action romp and identity examination. All of that aside, this will surely make an A+ miniseries (if casted with care) and I remain excited to see what Grace D. Li does next!
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Love me a good heist book! Enjoyed the historical aspects of it as well - aka colonialism and Western imperialism in regards to art and museum artifacts. Shoutout to the Ocean's Eleven references, one of my fav movies.
A cast of characters with shared POVs throughout the novel come together to heist rare Chinese artifacts stolen during the looting of Beijing and now residing in prominent museums across the US and Europe. While the allure of the heist certainly is what draws the group together, the rest of the novel is mainly character-focused rather than plot-driven, as the characters struggle with relationships among themselves and what the heist means to them as Asian Americans. It may have already been said by a lot by reviewers, but this book truly isn't what I was expecting. It's not a thriller or jam-packed with action from start to finish like other typical heist novels, and it is refreshing that it isn't. Rather, the novel is a great meditation on who art actually belongs to and the meaning of homeland.