A review by jennifermreads
Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li

mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Picked this up because one of the audiobook narrators is Eunice Wong and I loved her work on Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers. Her work, as well as Austin Ku’s, was quite good. But they needed some help from a larger cast… 

The five-POV characters were so similar in voice, as well as experiencing the same or similar life dilemmas and adjustments, it could be hard to remember who was who. When I would step away from the audiobook for a few days and then come back, it would always take me a chapter or two to clarify between Alex, Irene, and Lily. It was a bit easier with Daniel and Will since they were the only two males—but even those would take a few minutes to settle in my brain as “Will, the ring leader and Harvard art student” and “Daniel, his childhood friend and the pre-med student.” 
             
As far-fetched as it was to believe that a group of college students could be doing these jobs, I enjoyed the heist aspects of the story. I also was quite interested in the political and ethical dilemmas surrounding stolen artistic works displayed in museums outside of the originating country; my mind churned, even when I wasn’t actively reading, about art ownership and responsibilities of museums. 

I enjoyed Portrait of a Thief enough that I will read the author’s next offering. My only hope is that the character voices differ enough that, should I listen to the audio, I can more easily distinguish among them. 
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