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amberinpieces's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Colonisation and Cursing
Minor: Death of parent, Alcohol, Cultural appropriation, and Grief
theespressoedition's review against another edition
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I absolutely love a good heist story, that's for sure. I've watched Oceans 11 more times than I can count. I was practically raised on it. I've always found the intricacies behind a job like this to be utterly fascinating. So, you can understand how this book piqued my interest.
One of the first things I notice in heist books is that they're slow. Okay, that's a no-brainer, I get it. When you watch a movie with this plot, you have to follow all the subtleties before the main event happens. And somewhere in the midst of all those slow moments of learning how security works, watching an acrobat fit themselves into a box, or learning who to play to get what you want, you get the full story. It's thrilling! It's like a giant puzzle where everything gets put together very slowly and you're in on the secret of how it was accomplished.
I think when you read a book that revolves around a heist, it takes a little of the excitement out of it. Sure, it's interesting knowing how each person accomplishes their task, but it's not quite as cool as watching it happen. For some, it might be the opposite. They love reading about the emotions going on in a certain character's head or seeing how an element comes to pass because of an experience someone had as a kid. For me, it's harder to connect. I lose myself in trying to figure out what will happen next, rather than focusing on the details happening in the now.
ALL THAT BEING SAID: I did find Portrait of a Thief to be truly fascinating. While a bit slow, it was very smart. It had so many elements that didn't necessarily make sense separately, but once it all came together, it caused an "a-ha!" moment that was super satisfying.
I believe that anyone can relate to someone in this book. That's the beauty of multiple POVs! You can very quickly determine favorites and least favorites in a cast when you know what's happening in the minds of each and every one of them. I think that might've been my favorite part about this. It wasn't so much the heist itself that was interesting so much as the way the characters themselves played into it.
There was definitely a deeper conversation happening behind-the-scenes in this book. I can't particularly relate with or touch on this because it's not an OwnVoices review, but I did find it to be an interesting element and I really learned a lot from the experiences of the different characters.
I can see why this book quickly gained the attention it did. It absolutely deserves it! While I wouldn't say it's my favorite of all time and I'm not sure I'd be scrambling to read it again, I certainly appreciate the intelligent style of writing and unique story!
One of the first things I notice in heist books is that they're slow. Okay, that's a no-brainer, I get it. When you watch a movie with this plot, you have to follow all the subtleties before the main event happens. And somewhere in the midst of all those slow moments of learning how security works, watching an acrobat fit themselves into a box, or learning who to play to get what you want, you get the full story. It's thrilling! It's like a giant puzzle where everything gets put together very slowly and you're in on the secret of how it was accomplished.
I think when you read a book that revolves around a heist, it takes a little of the excitement out of it. Sure, it's interesting knowing how each person accomplishes their task, but it's not quite as cool as watching it happen. For some, it might be the opposite. They love reading about the emotions going on in a certain character's head or seeing how an element comes to pass because of an experience someone had as a kid. For me, it's harder to connect. I lose myself in trying to figure out what will happen next, rather than focusing on the details happening in the now.
ALL THAT BEING SAID: I did find Portrait of a Thief to be truly fascinating. While a bit slow, it was very smart. It had so many elements that didn't necessarily make sense separately, but once it all came together, it caused an "a-ha!" moment that was super satisfying.
I believe that anyone can relate to someone in this book. That's the beauty of multiple POVs! You can very quickly determine favorites and least favorites in a cast when you know what's happening in the minds of each and every one of them. I think that might've been my favorite part about this. It wasn't so much the heist itself that was interesting so much as the way the characters themselves played into it.
There was definitely a deeper conversation happening behind-the-scenes in this book. I can't particularly relate with or touch on this because it's not an OwnVoices review, but I did find it to be an interesting element and I really learned a lot from the experiences of the different characters.
I can see why this book quickly gained the attention it did. It absolutely deserves it! While I wouldn't say it's my favorite of all time and I'm not sure I'd be scrambling to read it again, I certainly appreciate the intelligent style of writing and unique story!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation and Racism
Minor: Cursing and Death of parent
mandkips's review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Death of parent
Moderate: Xenophobia, Cursing, Colonisation, and Grief
cozyreadsandcoffee's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
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
4.5
This book is not what you expect! It is not just a heist book.
Have you ever thought about how all the historical artifacts in museums got to where they are at? [most] museums are a face for stolen goods [Just FYI the Rosetta stone is apparently one of them] It is interesting because I think we always think about the item itself over how it got there.
This story follows five people of Chinese descent who actually take action. However this isn't just about the heist itself. It is about how each person got to where they are in life, and the struggles of feelings of not belonging.
At times, I felt like it was dragging a bit, but at moments I couldn't put this book down
Have you ever thought about how all the historical artifacts in museums got to where they are at? [most] museums are a face for stolen goods [Just FYI the Rosetta stone is apparently one of them] It is interesting because I think we always think about the item itself over how it got there.
This story follows five people of Chinese descent who actually take action. However this isn't just about the heist itself. It is about how each person got to where they are in life, and the struggles of feelings of not belonging.
At times, I felt like it was dragging a bit, but at moments I couldn't put this book down
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Racism, and Death of parent
Moderate: Grief, Xenophobia, and Cursing
sfbookgirl's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
As the debate about returning artworks and artifacts to their rightful owners/countries is an extremely popular talking point in the art world today, Portrait of a Thief is more current than ever. The novel centers around five college students who are hired by a private Chinese art collector to steal artwork from various museums around the world and return them to China. The book is set up to be a *great* movie or show and already happens to be in the works with Netflix. That said, the book fell pretty flat for me and I was irked by the over-romanticism of the Bay Area…I get picky about how people write about where I grew up.
While I didn’t find the stakes high enough for these college kids (what student doesn’t want money?), Portrait of a Thief is a quick read with short chapters that are easy to inhale. Although it was easy to finish in a couple of sittings, I found a lot of the information about the characters to be repetitive and didn’t allow the characters to grow or develop. I ended up skimming the book towards the end only to encounter a dull ending that leaves readers with an unsatisfied experience. All and all, I was looking for some more action and a bit less description of the Bay Area’s rolling, golden hills and furniture-less apartments.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Death of parent, Grief, and Racism
Moderate: Xenophobia and Cursing
edlenem's review
adventurous
funny
reflective
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Xenophobia, and Death of parent
caseythereader's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
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
4.0
Thanks to Tiny Reparations Books for the free copy of this book.
- PORTRAIT OF A THIEF is a cinematic meditation on colonialism, the Chinese diaspora, art history, and rewriting history from the view of the oppressed. You can absolutely already see the movie playing in your head as you read.
- It's much more of a character study than you might expect from a heist novel, but there are still plenty of heart-pounding passages amid the exploration of the team members' motivations and histories.
- Some of the ruminations become a bit repetitive in the last third, but the ending is more than worth sticking around for.
- PORTRAIT OF A THIEF is a cinematic meditation on colonialism, the Chinese diaspora, art history, and rewriting history from the view of the oppressed. You can absolutely already see the movie playing in your head as you read.
- It's much more of a character study than you might expect from a heist novel, but there are still plenty of heart-pounding passages amid the exploration of the team members' motivations and histories.
- Some of the ruminations become a bit repetitive in the last third, but the ending is more than worth sticking around for.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Colonisation, Cursing, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Grief
Moderate: Racism
knlipke's review
adventurous
hopeful
tense
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? It's complicated
4.0
Baby driver x Chinese art/culture
Portrait of a Thief is a wonderful novel about 5 college students who are offered a huge task… one that involves 50 million dollars: they have to steal Chinese art that has been away from the home country for hundreds of years. Will they be able to pull off stealing from art museums 5 times over?
I really loved this story. As a debut novel, Portrait of a Thief is great. The characters were loveable. The plot line is fascinating and a excellent idea. I loved the subtle romance story lines. The story was more about a sense of belonging in your ancestry than art thievery; wanting to create your own story within your history.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The idea story and themes were just amazing the entire time. It moved a little slowly, but I loved persevering, if not for the characters and wanting to know the outcome.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation and Death of parent
Moderate: Cursing and Racism
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