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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
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
adventurous
hopeful
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:
No
idk if i can really rate this yet because it felt like a whole lotta background noise to me as an audiobook. like the beginning had me. but then the middle lost me. but then like the end had me again. but then it kinda lost me again. but then kinda had me again.
but that might have been the adhd. it may have also been like the finding out my grandma died while listening to the audio book so.
i’ll give this one another shot later. shelving/reviewing as an enjoyable background experience for now?
but that might have been the adhd. it may have also been like the finding out my grandma died while listening to the audio book so.
i’ll give this one another shot later. shelving/reviewing as an enjoyable background experience for now?
Gotta be honest. I was looking for a more thriller/suspense book so that was part of my disappointment. This one included more drama/relationship storytelling in the midst of a crime. It wasn't really a "who dunnit" because you know who did it. It was more about how the relationships were unfolding and how the story would end. The focus wasn't actually on the heist but more about the group dynamics and their own stories. I enjoyed it but it just wasn't what I was personally looking for.
Portrait Of A Thief is a fascinating novel that explores the power of arts and how they intertwine with colonialism, a story about diaspora children and the weights and responsibilities that comes with it. Grace Li’s stunning debut is, undoubtedly, one of those books in which you would not mind being sucked in.
The portrait of Chinese-Americans reality, with its struggles and its joys, is so well done, touching and heartwarming: Grace Li’s writing makes it easy to sit down and listen, to try and understand how heavily colonialism, through traditions, politics and arts, can deeply shape those affected by it.
One of the most amazing things about Portrait Of A Thief is that it starts with one of the most absurd premises (it’s a story about five normal college-aged kids hired to rob five high-security museums around the western world, after all), and yet, with carefully placed twists and brilliant narrative choices, everything feels so realistic- maybe it’s because of that special feeling that surrounds the year of college and university, when anything seems possible and impossible at the same time.
And all of this is made possible, at least partially, thanks to such an incredible cast of characters, each thoroughly shaped with unique and complex personalities that make them feel almost alive, with different gazes on the world that contribute to creating a wider leans to read reality and relationship and feelings- especially Will, who watches everything and everyone with the eyes of an artist ready to catch a new masterpiece (few things are as delightful as certain descriptions in his chapters/povs). But after all, these five kids whose mission seems so absurd that are impossible to not be entertained by it, are so tightly bonded through many strings of fate, each getting more stronger with every passing page, with every moment spent together: Will, Daniel, Irene, Alex and Lily are a found family of my favorite kind.
(…but yes, there is also a very intriguing sapphic relationship on the tune of Halsey’s songs that will constantly make me dream of robbing a museum with a pretty girl)
In a way, I rarely related to fictional characters as deeply as it happened with this book. Even if it deals heavily with issues and life experiences so different of my own, in Will and his crew I found so much of myself: the way in which parents expectations (even if often not intentionally) and comparison with our own peers can make failure feels something impossible, something that *can’t* happen at all, or how the future often seems to hold so many possibilities but no certainty… what is the dream? And is that dream only an absurd fantasy that will fade in time, or a seed that can be shaped into reality?
Portrait Of A Thief is the perfect heist book to lose yourself into, and I can’t truly recommend it enough, especially if you love arts.
I’m pretty sure with will be one of those stories that will stay in my thoughts for a long time.
[ Disclaimer: an ARC was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review ]
The portrait of Chinese-Americans reality, with its struggles and its joys, is so well done, touching and heartwarming: Grace Li’s writing makes it easy to sit down and listen, to try and understand how heavily colonialism, through traditions, politics and arts, can deeply shape those affected by it.
One of the most amazing things about Portrait Of A Thief is that it starts with one of the most absurd premises (it’s a story about five normal college-aged kids hired to rob five high-security museums around the western world, after all), and yet, with carefully placed twists and brilliant narrative choices, everything feels so realistic- maybe it’s because of that special feeling that surrounds the year of college and university, when anything seems possible and impossible at the same time.
And all of this is made possible, at least partially, thanks to such an incredible cast of characters, each thoroughly shaped with unique and complex personalities that make them feel almost alive, with different gazes on the world that contribute to creating a wider leans to read reality and relationship and feelings- especially Will, who watches everything and everyone with the eyes of an artist ready to catch a new masterpiece (few things are as delightful as certain descriptions in his chapters/povs). But after all, these five kids whose mission seems so absurd that are impossible to not be entertained by it, are so tightly bonded through many strings of fate, each getting more stronger with every passing page, with every moment spent together: Will, Daniel, Irene, Alex and Lily are a found family of my favorite kind.
(…but yes, there is also a very intriguing sapphic relationship on the tune of Halsey’s songs that will constantly make me dream of robbing a museum with a pretty girl)
In a way, I rarely related to fictional characters as deeply as it happened with this book. Even if it deals heavily with issues and life experiences so different of my own, in Will and his crew I found so much of myself: the way in which parents expectations (even if often not intentionally) and comparison with our own peers can make failure feels something impossible, something that *can’t* happen at all, or how the future often seems to hold so many possibilities but no certainty… what is the dream? And is that dream only an absurd fantasy that will fade in time, or a seed that can be shaped into reality?
Portrait Of A Thief is the perfect heist book to lose yourself into, and I can’t truly recommend it enough, especially if you love arts.
I’m pretty sure with will be one of those stories that will stay in my thoughts for a long time.
[ Disclaimer: an ARC was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review ]
Enjoyed reading this! Talked to some folks who listened to this on audio - so glad I read. Fun to hang out with these characters, learn more about Chinese Art History and get entangled with a heist. Super easy read.
5⭐. If you carved out my heart, it would be in the shape of this book.
This book is made out of the bleeding heart of Chinese dispora, all the loss, heartbreak, but also something hopeful and cherishable.
Although I wouldn't recommend this book for people who are solely picking this up and expect to find a series of impossible heist stories like the crew in Six of Crows would manage. This is a much more realistic depiction of using this heist as a backdrop to portray a group of young Chinese dispora college students, all distinct, all feeling pulled apart by their Chinese American identity and what it means to them. There isn't much action scenes and twist and turns, instead this is a more character driven story that is very much realistic and personal.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc of this book.
This book is made out of the bleeding heart of Chinese dispora, all the loss, heartbreak, but also something hopeful and cherishable.
Although I wouldn't recommend this book for people who are solely picking this up and expect to find a series of impossible heist stories like the crew in Six of Crows would manage. This is a much more realistic depiction of using this heist as a backdrop to portray a group of young Chinese dispora college students, all distinct, all feeling pulled apart by their Chinese American identity and what it means to them. There isn't much action scenes and twist and turns, instead this is a more character driven story that is very much realistic and personal.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc of this book.
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:
Complicated
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No