nyailrac's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
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
kindleandilluminate's review against another edition
5.0
the short version of my review is just a thousand heart eye emojis.
ok actual review:
Portrait of a Thief grabbed me right from the get-go - the cover, the synopsis, it all sounds amazing. Fortunately, the book itself more than lived up to my high expectations. I devoured this gorgeous story, pretty much obsessed from the first few lines, taking so many notes along the way - just highlighting every sublime sentence or feeling that rang so deeply true within me. It's got everything I hoped for - a sharply clever heist plot, tense group dynamics of all sorts, richly drawn characters, dreamy prose (every description of light in this book is sheer chef's kiss perfection), and beautifully rendered thoughts on diaspora, family, identity, home, expectations, history, and so much more. I wasn't sure how it would be able to pull off a conclusion at once believable and satisfying, but the way it ends was just so smart and rewarding, elegantly genre-aware and deeply satisfying. Mesmerizing, cinematic (in the best possible way), exquisite, evocative. I'll be raving about this book to everyone I know.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tiny Reparations Books for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
ok actual review:
Portrait of a Thief grabbed me right from the get-go - the cover, the synopsis, it all sounds amazing. Fortunately, the book itself more than lived up to my high expectations. I devoured this gorgeous story, pretty much obsessed from the first few lines, taking so many notes along the way - just highlighting every sublime sentence or feeling that rang so deeply true within me. It's got everything I hoped for - a sharply clever heist plot, tense group dynamics of all sorts, richly drawn characters, dreamy prose (every description of light in this book is sheer chef's kiss perfection), and beautifully rendered thoughts on diaspora, family, identity, home, expectations, history, and so much more. I wasn't sure how it would be able to pull off a conclusion at once believable and satisfying, but the way it ends was just so smart and rewarding, elegantly genre-aware and deeply satisfying. Mesmerizing, cinematic (in the best possible way), exquisite, evocative. I'll be raving about this book to everyone I know.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tiny Reparations Books for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
yackie_jackie's review against another edition
4.0
The themes that are explored in this book feel so personal to the author. The way art and colonialism is tied to the identities of the people who’s country’s it was stolen from. What it means to be the child of an immigrant. The expectations you’re expected to live up to. The grief of not knowing who you are or where you belong. This book was good.
jennivardier's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
theythemreads's review against another edition
medium-paced
4.0
Enjoyed it and thought the last heist was really cleverly planned
mailovesbooksblog's review against another edition
4.0
an AMAZING read!! The characters, the plot everything was just so gripping!
Rating: 4/5
Synopsis:
History is told by the conquerors. Across the Western world, museums display the spoils of war, of conquest, of colonialism: priceless pieces of art looted from other countries, kept even now.
Will Chen plans to steal them back.
A senior at Harvard, Will fits comfortably in his carefully curated roles: a perfect student, an art history major and sometimes artist, the eldest son that has always been his parents’ American Dream. But when a shadowy Chinese corporation reaches out with an impossible—and illegal—job offer, Will finds himself something else as well: the leader of a heist to steal back five priceless Chinese sculptures, looted from Beijing centuries ago.
His crew is every heist archetype one can imagine—or at least, the closest he can get. A conman: Irene Chen, Will’s sister and a public policy major at Duke, who can talk her way out of anything. A thief: Daniel Liang, a premed student with steady hands just as capable of lockpicking as suturing. A getaway driver: Lily Wu, an engineering student who races cars in her free time. A hacker: Alex Huang, an MIT dropout turned Silicon Valley software engineer. Each member of his crew has their own complicated relationship with China and the identity they've cultivated as Chinese Americans, but when Will asks, none of them can turn him down.
Because if they succeed? They earn fifty million dollars--and a chance to make history. But if they fail, it will mean not just the loss of everything they’ve dreamed for themselves but yet another thwarted attempt to take back what colonialism has stolen.
Thank you NetGalley for giving me an ARC!!
Rating: 4/5
Synopsis:
History is told by the conquerors. Across the Western world, museums display the spoils of war, of conquest, of colonialism: priceless pieces of art looted from other countries, kept even now.
Will Chen plans to steal them back.
A senior at Harvard, Will fits comfortably in his carefully curated roles: a perfect student, an art history major and sometimes artist, the eldest son that has always been his parents’ American Dream. But when a shadowy Chinese corporation reaches out with an impossible—and illegal—job offer, Will finds himself something else as well: the leader of a heist to steal back five priceless Chinese sculptures, looted from Beijing centuries ago.
His crew is every heist archetype one can imagine—or at least, the closest he can get. A conman: Irene Chen, Will’s sister and a public policy major at Duke, who can talk her way out of anything. A thief: Daniel Liang, a premed student with steady hands just as capable of lockpicking as suturing. A getaway driver: Lily Wu, an engineering student who races cars in her free time. A hacker: Alex Huang, an MIT dropout turned Silicon Valley software engineer. Each member of his crew has their own complicated relationship with China and the identity they've cultivated as Chinese Americans, but when Will asks, none of them can turn him down.
Because if they succeed? They earn fifty million dollars--and a chance to make history. But if they fail, it will mean not just the loss of everything they’ve dreamed for themselves but yet another thwarted attempt to take back what colonialism has stolen.
Thank you NetGalley for giving me an ARC!!
sierramiller's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.25
val_so_'s review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
4.0
saschasreads's review against another edition
4.0
This was so so so much fun and I can totally see how important this book is for chinese american people. Or any person relating to this. I learned a lot and even tho this was a highly surrealistic book, it was so much fun.
tbuoy's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
4.0