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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
FULL REVIEW: https://meganprokott.com/2022-books//portrait-of-a-thief-grace-d-li
This book touched my HEART. It is so beautifully written with all the passion this author has towards Chinese culture laid completely bare for the reader. And yet? Incredibly entertaining with excellent pacing. Read this book immediately. If you love art, especially read this immediately.
This book touched my HEART. It is so beautifully written with all the passion this author has towards Chinese culture laid completely bare for the reader. And yet? Incredibly entertaining with excellent pacing. Read this book immediately. If you love art, especially read this immediately.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5 stars.
It was good, I was waiting for it to be great.
5 stars for the themes and discussion around looted art, cultural diaspora, etc.
3 stars for plot, characters, writing.
It was good, I was waiting for it to be great.
5 stars for the themes and discussion around looted art, cultural diaspora, etc.
3 stars for plot, characters, writing.
"Will could hear the sirens. They sounded like a promise"
Absolutely fantastic book! I don't usually pick up heist books or crime thrillers but was intrigued by the line on the back and then the premise of students becoming involved in an international art heist. This book is beautifully written, but as some other reviews pointed out the language can be a bit repetitive but for me this did not take any enjoyment out of the book. The characters are all intriguing and complex showing many different ways of struggling with identity and culture. As I am not Asian or Asian American I cant comment on the experiences of these characters but I can say that I loved how Grace D. Li explored these concepts and colonialism and will definitely be picking up future books by her!
Absolutely fantastic book! I don't usually pick up heist books or crime thrillers but was intrigued by the line on the back and then the premise of students becoming involved in an international art heist. This book is beautifully written, but as some other reviews pointed out the language can be a bit repetitive but for me this did not take any enjoyment out of the book. The characters are all intriguing and complex showing many different ways of struggling with identity and culture. As I am not Asian or Asian American I cant comment on the experiences of these characters but I can say that I loved how Grace D. Li explored these concepts and colonialism and will definitely be picking up future books by her!
I'm not quite sure how I feel about this book. It was about a heist, but also not. It was multiple POV, but they all started to blend together after a while. Each of the characters that set them apart, but sometimes felt too quirky.
I really wanted to like this but the writing was ridiculously corny and repetitive. It was nice having the Chinese immigrant experience represented in a book but the characters literally can't do anything without an inner dialogue about the diaspora. The heist almost felt like an afterthought, which was kind of a relief because who hires five 20-somethings to pull an art heist?
medium-paced
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated