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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
What a ride! Excellent pacing, twists and turns that you don't always see coming, but always make sense. The tension and humor from the five different points of view, especially between the siblings. Both thought-provoking and genuinely enjoyable. I hope Li continues to write novels because I am looking forward to reading more!
One complaint, specifically about the audiobook. I loved Eunice Wong's narration, the distinct voices she creates for the three young women, and how she matches the young men's voices to Austin Ku's voices for them. I didn't like how Ku narrated the women, though. He gave them all these breathy falsetto voices, especially Lily, that didn't fit with their personalities or match Wong's narration at all. Otherwise, though, his narration was good, and I loved how natural both Wong's and Ku's Chinese pronunciations were.
One complaint, specifically about the audiobook. I loved Eunice Wong's narration, the distinct voices she creates for the three young women, and how she matches the young men's voices to Austin Ku's voices for them. I didn't like how Ku narrated the women, though. He gave them all these breathy falsetto voices, especially Lily, that didn't fit with their personalities or match Wong's narration at all. Otherwise, though, his narration was good, and I loved how natural both Wong's and Ku's Chinese pronunciations were.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
it was an okay book.
it was very centered on the colonialism and the characters rather than the heist, which bummed me out a little because i was expecting a great heist and then there wasnt any.
i mean they are college kids running around thinking they can pull a heist like Oceans eleven and they can’t
and the ending ? like they get caught by the police but don’t get jail time?
i believe i expected something else from this book, but nevertheless i had fun with it and it kept me hooked
it was very centered on the colonialism and the characters rather than the heist, which bummed me out a little because i was expecting a great heist and then there wasnt any.
and the ending ? like they get caught by the police but don’t get jail time?
i believe i expected something else from this book, but nevertheless i had fun with it and it kept me hooked
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
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
Portrait of a Thief is Grace D. Li’s debut novel. I was enthusiastic about the novel when I read the synopsis. I listen to the audiobook version. I wish they had one narrator for each crew member as I found it irritating listening to the male narrator, Austin Ku, trying to do female voices.
I like that the novel mixes real-life events to fiction. I remembered vaguely of the Chinese art heists that shook Europe a decade ago or so. What I liked the most about the novel is that it prompts us to reflect on the cultural looting that affected so many former colonies and how the West tries to justify holding on to stolen art. It was interesting and refreshing seeing things from the other side.
I enjoyed learning about these characters and their different experiences growing up as Chinese-Americans (for Will, Irene, Alex and Lily) and as a Chinese teen who immigrated to the US (Daniel). The author did a great job at painting the challenges, the weight of family expectations, the otherness that Chinese-Americans or Chinese immigrants may feel while living in the US, and how they’re perceived “back home”.
I found that Act 1 dragged on for too long and I much preferred listening to the other two acts. Some readers complained about the plot pointing out that it was farfetched and unrealistic in some areas. I personally don’t mind it as I deem the heist is not the focus of the book. It is to set the atmosphere but it is what the heist represents that is more important—taking back what is rightfully yours and claiming your heritage.
Written to be savored— full of phrases to mark up, pages to dog-ear, and feelings to sit with.
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
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
I was really excited about this book and the premise and characters were really good. The plot with the art heists was super unrealistic but I can suspend my disbelief for a fun heist (who among us can actually explain how the Crows made it out of the Ice Court). My problem really came with the writing. I'm hoping this is a debut novel issue that the author will grow out of but the writing was super repetitive. Like certain phrases were used so often it got to the point where every time I read one I would groan and be taken out of the story. Still a fun time though and I'll probably pick up the author's next book since it's about science grad students lol
Intriguing plot but failed to keep me interested.
When I read the blurb for this, I was immediately engrossed. C'mon what's not to love, a group of Asian Americans conducting a heist to return Chinese art to its homeland. That sounds absolutely amazing. Look it starts like a banger, the first two chapters are chef's kiss, perfect for a thriller. But what happened after that...yeah it was problematic for me.
Let me elaborate-
1. Firstly, I get that the main motive behind is to return the art to its native country. As someone hailing from a country, that had it's art stolen by the colonisers too, I get it. Am behind this heist a 100%. But if you're gonna write something like that, bring out the realities as to why. Why do you really want to do it? Make it raw and real. What happened at the time when your art got stolen? Keep it raw for people who are reading it.
2. The characters just went along with the heist without any problems? Umm okay. I get the bigger picture but it's not supposed to be as simple as "Hey mate. I am planning a heist, you in?" "Yeah bro." Yeah that's not logical. I also did not relate to any of the characters. They're also quite forgettable. The personalities are all the same.
3. The story is supposed to about the heist and planning and all the complexities that come with it. But I personally felt that it got overshadowed by the character development taking place. The author was so focused on the characters, that the central plot felt like a secondary one.
4. The story is told by different perspectives of the characters and yet they all sound the same. Wasn't a fan of that. It was confusing.
5. It's described as a literary masterpiece of sorts by some. Yeah I don't think so. Look, the author is no doubt talented but if you're just being wordy without any substance, it's not a masterpiece. So much happened that did not contribute to the main plot aka the heist at all! I skimmed a bit.
This is a book that might work for some and might not work for others. I clearly fall in the latter category. I personally thought this book was a wasted potential. It's such a complex and real subject, the author did not deal with it in the rightful manner in my opinion. It kind of felt like reading a bad episode of Money Heist. Considering the premise, I had high hopes and it backfired. Am not too keen on checking out future works by the author but we'll see.
When I read the blurb for this, I was immediately engrossed. C'mon what's not to love, a group of Asian Americans conducting a heist to return Chinese art to its homeland. That sounds absolutely amazing. Look it starts like a banger, the first two chapters are chef's kiss, perfect for a thriller. But what happened after that...yeah it was problematic for me.
Let me elaborate-
1. Firstly, I get that the main motive behind is to return the art to its native country. As someone hailing from a country, that had it's art stolen by the colonisers too, I get it. Am behind this heist a 100%. But if you're gonna write something like that, bring out the realities as to why. Why do you really want to do it? Make it raw and real. What happened at the time when your art got stolen? Keep it raw for people who are reading it.
2. The characters just went along with the heist without any problems? Umm okay. I get the bigger picture but it's not supposed to be as simple as "Hey mate. I am planning a heist, you in?" "Yeah bro." Yeah that's not logical. I also did not relate to any of the characters. They're also quite forgettable. The personalities are all the same.
3. The story is supposed to about the heist and planning and all the complexities that come with it. But I personally felt that it got overshadowed by the character development taking place. The author was so focused on the characters, that the central plot felt like a secondary one.
4. The story is told by different perspectives of the characters and yet they all sound the same. Wasn't a fan of that. It was confusing.
5. It's described as a literary masterpiece of sorts by some. Yeah I don't think so. Look, the author is no doubt talented but if you're just being wordy without any substance, it's not a masterpiece. So much happened that did not contribute to the main plot aka the heist at all! I skimmed a bit.
This is a book that might work for some and might not work for others. I clearly fall in the latter category. I personally thought this book was a wasted potential. It's such a complex and real subject, the author did not deal with it in the rightful manner in my opinion. It kind of felt like reading a bad episode of Money Heist. Considering the premise, I had high hopes and it backfired. Am not too keen on checking out future works by the author but we'll see.
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
informative
mysterious
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Colonisation
Moderate: War
Minor: Racism
adventurous
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No