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withlivjones's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
This was such a fun read, a thrilling heist story that is actually realistic in that it’s messy and the characters (far from professional thieves) don’t know what they’re doing a lot of the time, but that makes the way everything comes together that much more satisfying. I loved the discussions of museums keeping stolen artefacts and of being descendants of immigrants and what the American Dream means to the characters in that context. The characters were all well fleshed out with their own arcs and they worked really well together - I especially loved the tension between Alex and Irene.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Grief
Minor: Terminal illness, Racism, and Xenophobia
thealmightykatt's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Colonisation and Terminal illness
readingwithcoffee's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
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
3.75
A very warm 3.75 I love the premise but there’s some weakness in the writing around certain character’s relationships not in even direction or dynamic but execution that I will note further later :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Chronic illness, Death of parent, and Terminal illness
imds's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Death of parent, Grief, Cancer, and Colonisation
Minor: Racism
directorpurry's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism, Colonisation, Death of parent, Cancer, Terminal illness, and Xenophobia
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
bluejayreads's review against another edition
This is not a heist story, this is a book about immigrant identity, and to a lesser degree art and the Western habit of stealing other countries' art and saying it's not theirs anymore. I really appreciate a book critiquing Western imperialism's art crimes and I love the idea of a Chinese diaspora team stealing them back, but the idea would have been better done in a movie or TV show - or even a more action-oriented book. These characters aren't a cohesive team (and aren't putting effort into becoming one), they go about heist planning terribly (watching heist movies and discussing committing felonies over Zoom), and they're focused more on inner monologues about their immigrant identities as both Chinese and American than the heists. If you go in expecting that it might not be bad, but calling it a heist book is major mismarketing.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Terminal illness
Imperialismbluedilly's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Death of parent, Grief, and Mental illness
jaan's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
I read another review, before I picked up Portrait of a Thief, that said this book is heavy, and not in a good way. The sentences are weighty. They bear down on you unceasingly. However, the lushness of this book would be well-captured on film. I partially agree with this assessment for one reason: there aren’t many ways to tell grief in writing, so the author must use words like grief, loss, hollow. There are, however, millions of ways to show grief in screenplay. This book spends a lot of time on grieving—for home, for parents, for history. I did like the way the author handled grief, but it was TOO present, both in the narrative and in the lives of the characters. There is some discussion of how Will approaches everything, especially love, as being temporary, and as I was reading, I really hoped that Li would write the temporality of grief into a bigger motif than it ended up being.
The first quarter-ish of the story is too romantic. Melancholy pervades the book, even during supposedly tense, high-action scenes like those of speed racing. This melancholy is further oppressive in the sense that it impedes Li's ability to properly develop her characters. They are distinct, but don't have enough depth. They're also, put simply, too sexy. Save for a few group-project scenes, the characters don't interact with each other like real people would (I went to school with people as exceptional as Li's characters, but I didn't find that she gave any of them the complexity, depth, and even lightheartedness they deserved).
I’m glad I stuck with this book, though. As a student of postcolonial literature and art history, I appreciated the story! I just think the target audience for this book is the ninth grade. It would be really excellent for my little sister in a few years.
The first quarter-ish of the story is too romantic. Melancholy pervades the book, even during supposedly tense, high-action scenes like those of speed racing. This melancholy is further oppressive in the sense that it impedes Li's ability to properly develop her characters. They are distinct, but don't have enough depth. They're also, put simply, too sexy. Save for a few group-project scenes, the characters don't interact with each other like real people would (I went to school with people as exceptional as Li's characters, but I didn't find that she gave any of them the complexity, depth, and even lightheartedness they deserved).
I’m glad I stuck with this book, though. As a student of postcolonial literature and art history, I appreciated the story! I just think the target audience for this book is the ninth grade. It would be really excellent for my little sister in a few years.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Medical content and Alcohol
Minor: Terminal illness
venetiana's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
5.0
this is my new favourite book. it is EXCELLENT. who needs heist movies when this book exists!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation and Grief
Minor: Alcohol, Death of parent, Terminal illness, and Vomit