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hannah_steven's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Racism, and Colonisation
Moderate: Grief and Xenophobia
Minor: War
jtpgdavey's review against another edition
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Colonisation
Moderate: War
Minor: Racism
frantically's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
inspiring
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
I really loved this! I may be a history student but above all, I am a museum criticist.
This story seems simple — 5 Chinese-American college students, 5 zodiac heads to be retrieved. But it is so much more than that. It's about immigration, family, love and the loss of it, complicated sibling relationships and just not knowing where your life is supposed to end up. I could find myself so much in this book, it was so raw and real.
The character relationships were so interesting, especially how each of them had different and established relationships and intercations with the other members of the crew. They're all multifaceted and you can really see that come through in those scenes and that's what makes them seem so much like real people.
I really appreciated the constant mentions of Chinese proverbs and the small differences in meaning that sentences can have in English & Chinese, that was so interesting. I've been trying to get into Asian history for some time but I've been really struggling to find an in (I'm not one for biggg, long, overview books, give me one single aspect please) and I think the Summer Palace is the one! Its history in the past and its status right now really intrigues me.
Would definitely recommend if you also love criticising museums and your own academic field. Academia is a scam but I firmly believe we can change it.
Okay, now, why wasn't this 5 stars? Don't get me wrong: people know me as someone who hates, basically can't read anything, that has a sad ending but this one was just too perfect for me. I loved how much they messed up in the book, how un-perfect this heist was and maybe I'm just a hater of historical institutions at my form but I'm not able to dispense reality enough to believe this ending.
This story seems simple — 5 Chinese-American college students, 5 zodiac heads to be retrieved. But it is so much more than that. It's about immigration, family, love and the loss of it, complicated sibling relationships and just not knowing where your life is supposed to end up. I could find myself so much in this book, it was so raw and real.
The character relationships were so interesting, especially how each of them had different and established relationships and intercations with the other members of the crew. They're all multifaceted and you can really see that come through in those scenes and that's what makes them seem so much like real people.
I really appreciated the constant mentions of Chinese proverbs and the small differences in meaning that sentences can have in English & Chinese, that was so interesting. I've been trying to get into Asian history for some time but I've been really struggling to find an in (I'm not one for biggg, long, overview books, give me one single aspect please) and I think the Summer Palace is the one! Its history in the past and its status right now really intrigues me.
Would definitely recommend if you also love criticising museums and your own academic field. Academia is a scam but I firmly believe we can change it.
Okay, now, why wasn't this 5 stars? Don't get me wrong: people know me as someone who hates, basically can't read anything, that has a sad ending but this one was just too perfect for me. I loved how much they messed up in the book, how un-perfect this heist was and maybe I'm just a hater of historical institutions at my form but I'm not able to dispense reality enough to believe this ending.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation
Moderate: Xenophobia, Death of parent, Racism, and Grief
Minor: War
katekatiekait's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: War, Racial slurs, Terminal illness, and Racism
thewordsdevourer's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
i had an inkling a few pgs in that i wouldnt vibe w/ this book, and unfortunately i was right. portrait of a thief has an intriguing premise, but the suspension of disbelief, the writing thats unsuited for the story, and heavy-handed approach to its themes are simply not for me.
the book's built on a flimsy foundation, and how things develop just dont make sense. for example, that a billionaire art thief chooses will for a $50 mil job literally just bc he's chinese-american - having not an idea whether he'll have the skills to pull it off - is ludicrous to me. some of the crew agreeing to the job bc of will's sheer charisma is also far-fetched bc he has no charisma whatsoever.
moreover, this is a heist story, but the writing's totally unsuited for it. there are wayyy too many ~reflective~ moments - most of them being the same thing said over and over again in a slightly modified way - and it's all overdramatic and lamentative. tbh this book's more like a volume of the characters' emo introspection peppered w/ some action, so infrequently we ever get out of their heads. there's way too much boring stuff and not enough of the fun ones. i also think this book's written in a very amateur way, a playbook of a failed show-not-tell esp when the phrase "it goes like this..." is a given in almost every chapter.
as a result, the whole story falls flat for me, including the characters who im impartial to; i simply dont feel anything reading this. again, the tell-not-show approach also means li couldnt be more heavy-handed w/ the themes, which could benefit from more subtle exploration.
although the last couple chapters are markedly better than the rest of the book, they arent enough to save it. this is a novel brimming w/ potential, one that could def be sth better in more adept hands. alas, that cant be helped and this is what we get.
the book's built on a flimsy foundation, and how things develop just dont make sense. for example, that a billionaire art thief chooses will for a $50 mil job literally just bc he's chinese-american - having not an idea whether he'll have the skills to pull it off - is ludicrous to me. some of the crew agreeing to the job bc of will's sheer charisma is also far-fetched bc he has no charisma whatsoever.
moreover, this is a heist story, but the writing's totally unsuited for it. there are wayyy too many ~reflective~ moments - most of them being the same thing said over and over again in a slightly modified way - and it's all overdramatic and lamentative. tbh this book's more like a volume of the characters' emo introspection peppered w/ some action, so infrequently we ever get out of their heads. there's way too much boring stuff and not enough of the fun ones. i also think this book's written in a very amateur way, a playbook of a failed show-not-tell esp when the phrase "it goes like this..." is a given in almost every chapter.
as a result, the whole story falls flat for me, including the characters who im impartial to; i simply dont feel anything reading this. again, the tell-not-show approach also means li couldnt be more heavy-handed w/ the themes, which could benefit from more subtle exploration.
although the last couple chapters are markedly better than the rest of the book, they arent enough to save it. this is a novel brimming w/ potential, one that could def be sth better in more adept hands. alas, that cant be helped and this is what we get.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Racism, Chronic illness, and Colonisation
Minor: War and Death of parent
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