I loved the premise of this book so much- in fact, it was my most anticipated release of 2022. I love heist novels, especially when they are committed by ordinary people and even better when the crew includes marginalized identities. I truly believe this book is beautifully written and overall I would probably recommend to friends. However, I had some major problems with it that seriously took away some of my enjoyment from what I surely thought was going to be a five star book at the beginning,.

My biggest issues were with the characters, their perspectives, and the repetition of every single thought they had about colonialism and Asia and the American dream and stolen art. I truly think every single one of them said the same sentence about taken back what was stolen from china in every single sentence. I think it would have been much more powerful if the author had approached it in a more nuanced way. Instead, it was boring to read because it was so overdone. Also, I really loved most of the characters from their own perspectives, but they were truly terrible from each others perspectives, especially Irene and Alex. Their romance at the end wasn't even believable because of the immature way they interacted with each other for most of the book. Finally, the actually heist scenes were so vague and not realistic that I feel like the author didn't even do any research into how to write a heist novel, which I'm sure isn't actually the case. I get that it is a really complicated trope, but it was very lackluster to me.

Anyway, I still enjoyed this book, so much so that i'm going to be devoting an episode of my podcast, YOU HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK, to it at the end of april, so go listen to that if you want to hear us go even more in depth. I give this book 3 stars, which is pretty low for me, but I still think this book has a great premise and good writing and I would probably recommend if someone was interested in it.

I tried really hard to like this because it was one of my most anticipated reads of 2022, but unfortunately, I just couldn't get into it. The heist aspects were too unbelievable and the characters quite flat. If the premise had been executed differently, this would have been better.

The Portrait of a Thief was everywhere on my Twitter feed when it first dropped on Netgalley and the mysterious cover alongside its fascinating premise bumped this onto my anticipated releases for the year. This is a story told through the eyes of children of immigrants and their quest to reclaim their identity through a series of art heists. As someone who grew up watching all the heist and spy movies with her parents, I went into this with a lot excitement and questions.

While the synopsis places a lot of weight on the thrill of the art heists, the story shone through its introspective commentary on what it means to be Asian American. As the reader, you might have to suspend your disbelief when reading about the group's approach towards their heists - if thieves could learn everything from spy movies and Fast & Furious, the world would possibly descend into chaos already. Where the first heist was thrilling to read, the consecutives ones felt more like luck than skill.

With that said, I went into this debut curious but not entirely sold on the heist plotline and that mindset allowed the story to still be enjoyable despite the main plot point being somewhat underdeveloped. While the characters are quite standard perfect-on-paper Asian Americans, their stories still echoed the same pressures and insecurities that I was surrounded with despite our paths being radically different.

There's an understanding that feels so comforting about the struggle to identify with one's ethnicity and the feeling of not quite belonging to either place. Each character's exploration of their identity and acceptance of their futures felt like powerful declarations against Western colonization and conquest. They breathed their own identities into the histories of the countries they call home. The crew is one that gradually grew on me as their story progressed - it wasn't the excitement of their task or the sense of pride in their calling that pulled me in, but their individual journeys with their identity and their conversations that followed.

For a debut, Grace D. Li tackles the Asian American experience in a way that feels personal but universal at the same time. It manages to address a topic with a lot of gravity while injecting a fun heist plot into the mix.

This book has an Ocean's 11 vibe to it, and those interested in art history and heists will love it. Already purchased by the library knowing it will be a hit!

I actually tried to read this book many times, but I never pick it up for more than 5 pages. It's good, and well written, but not my thing for now. I'll definitely read it in the future as is quite interesting.

I just finished reading Portrait of a Thief. Grace D. Li has hit it out of the park with her debut novel. Her theme is new and fresh. The story is well written, with well-developed and interesting characters.

Five college students have been recruited to do the impossible. The task - recover five antique fountainheads stolen from China. The price for success - fifty million dollars. The challenge - the fountainheads are held by five of the most secure museums in the world.

This is an excellent adventure with a unique conclusion. In the interest of full disclosure, I was invited by the author to review this title, and was provided a free digital review copy by Net Galley.

#PortraitofaThief#GraceDLi#NetGalley

Thank you to the publisher Tiny Reparations Group for providing an ARC via NetGalley for an honest review.

Portrait of a Thief is pitched as a heist novel headlined by a group of high-achieving Chinese-American college students intent on recovering ancient Chinese art from the Western institutions that have taken ownership of them. And while I was initially hooked by the concept of a high-stakes heist that demands a conversation about colonialism, this book is not exactly that. Instead, it's much more a character study on how Chinese-American diaspora has affected the lives of five remarkably talented, but ultimately unfulfilled young adults.

What this book lacks in action and ingenious ploys to steal heavily guarded art from some of the most prestigious museums in the Western world, it makes up for with its character work. The band of unlikely art thieves don’t share much in the way of personality or even life experiences - beyond being Chinese American. But that’s what makes their interactions as a group so striking, though not exactly fun in the way you’d anticipate from a heist story.

Speaking in terms of standout characters - Irene Chen is an icon, a legend, and she is the moment. Her romantic entanglements with Alex are the definition of enemies-to-lovers done right, and frankly I could have read an entire book about just them learning to push aside the prejudices that have clouded their opinions of the other. Irene’s fixation on perfectionism and surpassing her brother, along with Alex’s struggle to separate her identity from her high-paying but all-consuming job are two aspects of their characters that felt incredibly visceral to me. And while I did like the other members of the group, I never could fully envision them the way I could Irene and Alex.

I don’t think Portrait of a Thief is the book for people looking for a fast-moving heist story that’s packed with careful plotting and numerous twists and turns. The heist is there, but more to function as a prop for the conversation around colonialism on how the Western world still clings to its history as a colonial power through the way it houses the artistry of a once conquered people under the guise of protection. While this is not at all the book I expected going in, and altogether a much more melancholy take on this genre than I’ve ever read, it’s an important subject to explore nonetheless.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tiny Reparations Books for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li follows a group of Chinese American crew that is tasked with stealing artifacts back from museums in order to return them to China. Exploring identity, colonialism, and who gets to keep history alive, this book is an interesting heist story with a much deeper narrative.

I liked a lot about this book: the characters, the heists, the exploration of colonialism's impact on history (and how it gets told). But I think it gets a little lost in the five different POVs. I think a streamlined third person with occasional POVs might have been more successful here.

I've seen other reviewers mention unlikable characters, and once again, that isn't an issue for me here. They all felt like real people, flaws and all. But I do wish we had a bit more time with them, in order to get into their heads. Maybe the shorter chapters kept us from getting too embedded in each one at a time? I still really enjoyed this book and would recommend it!

The plot of this book was so fun! It's about a group of young Chinese American college students who work together to try to steal back Chinese Art from Western Museums. I loved the theme, which was a cross between Oceans Eleven and Gone in Sixty Seconds, but found there was a bit too much inner monologue and not enough action. This could be fun turned into a movie or a TV show.

Thank you to Net Gallery and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

DNF - 38%

Crime and art work really well together and I found the idea of repatriating the sculpture interesting, I just couldn't make myself care. The characters were one-dimensional and not particularly likable. If they succeed with the heists I'll be annoyed because there's no way they could pull it off in reality, but based on how they went about planning it. If they don't pull it off I'll be sad because who wants a heist book when the heist doesn't at least partially succeed?

A heist. Chinese culture. Queer characters. I mean, what more could you want? I can’t wait until I can get my hands on a physical copy of this book!

I'm punching myself for not reading this book earlier AND for goofing off (aka knitting and Minecrafting) while reading it instead of blazing through it as it deserved. I've been sitting on this since November of LAST YEAR when someone in marketing at the publisher reached out with it.* I forced myself to wait until late March/early April to read it because I had a feeling I would really enjoy it and that barely covers my enthusiasm for it.

The premise was fascinating to me even if I was a bit wary of the Boston setting (I have bad experience with books being set where I live/have lived), but international art theft by college students, critiques on colonialism, BIPOC author, and characters, discussion of diaspora, ummm obviously I was going to say yes to it. I found out while reading the acknowledgments, that this has already been optioned by Netflix and I cannot tell you how much I'm ready for that!

Throw in that this is a debut novel and I'm still reeling from reading it. Li's writing truly felt like something from someone 4-5 books in with one of the large international publishers. It was well written, had well-developed characters (primary and minor), and was just so polished.

'We're children of the diaspora,' Will said. He had grown up in the US, knew that no matter how much he wanted it to be, China would never be home to him. 'All we've ever known is loss.' (Chapter 37)

The story centers around Will (the mastermind) who is in his final year as an art history student at Harvard and witnesses a theft at the Harvard Sackler museum and receives a business card from one of the robbers that kicks off the entire story. The other protagonists are his sister Irene (con artist), their childhood best friend Daniel (the safecracker/burglar), Irene's roommate Lily (getaway driver) who races cars illicitly in Durham, NC, and last but not least Alex (the hacker) an MIT student who left before graduating with an obscene offer from Silicone Valley.

For me, the book wasn't about the heists even though they're so well written and fascinating, especially when they run into another crew while in the middle of a heist and the ending of the book where I know I was 100% left with a "holy shit was this the plan the entire time" mindset. For me, the book was about the critique of museums and colonial inheritance, and the diaspora experience.

Li did a wonderful job of writing these Chinese American characters and the troubles they face as first and second-generation Americans AND she balanced it with their interactions between each other, Chinese nationals, and their parents who originally immigrated from China. There were a couple of conversations throughout the book where people asked Will or others of the team WHY they were doing this when they weren't from China, and they were just so well written and heart baring that they really overshadowed the thriller/action and adventure aspect of the book.

When you add in that I was playing catch up on podcasts and listened to this podcast, not two weeks before starting this, it really put these conversations into perspective. https://twitter.com/99piorg/status/1361797840112996358

The critiques of museums and western colonialism were interesting to read while everything else was happening at such a fast pace:

This was how it always went. Museums overlooked colonialism, conquest, a history of blood, until it was laid in front of them, until violence was met with violence. (Chapter 50)

Stolen art always took the same path. A smuggler in a foreign country, art that was shipped across oceans. Forged papers, a curator who was willing to look the other way. From a private collection in Europe, the documents would say, and there would be no questions after that. He had seen it in the art at the Drottningholm. History did not change. Thieves just got better at hiding. (Chapter 60)

There were times when Will (whose chapter both of these appeared in) seemed to run the edge between willing naivete and forceful optimism/idealism. This really came across when he spoke specifically about the summer palace and the looted goods, but other conversations showed this wasn't just about the Chinese art and artifacts that had been looted, but all art and artifacts. It reminded me of many conversations I had in undergrad with art history major friends about whether things should be repatriated or fees should be paid to continue to show famous pieces from other countries. It's such a huge decision that has moral and ethical complications and is never an easy yes or no (even though personally more often than not it should be more clear cut).

My final note is to say that I was so happy with the end of the book. I'm still a little shell-shocked and wonder whether it was the plan from the beginning. But all of that aside, I am HERE FOR Irene and Alex (and to a lesser extent Will and Lily). I loved that their sexuality wasn't the main driver in the story, but that it happened naturally and that there was never a big deal made out of Irene's past girlfriends or the unrequited love of Daniel. The scene between Alex and Daniel was heartbreaking and I really hope Daniel finds his true love because he definitely deserves it.

Recommendation: There were so many facets of this novel that I could read this a dozen times and find something new to write about. Li's writing about art history and provenance and the Chinese diaspora really drew me in and kept me engaged. When tied together with locations I knew or was familiar with she really hit it out of the park and kept me engaged the entire time. Li is an author to keep an eye on as I can only imagine her future works will be that much more engaging and fun to read.

*I received a copy of Portrait of a Thief via NetGalley in return for my honest opinion. No goods or money were exchanged.

An absolutely phenomenal read -- I loved everything about it. The multi-faceted characters, the smoothness of the pacing, the righteousness of their whole endeavor -- it was a fantastic read. Loved it!

I wish I could put into words exactly why I loved this book but I can't. I went into it with high expectations because I love a heist story but that wasn't the true highlight here (and I'd say that going into it only thinking it's about a museum robbery will leave you disappointed). while the heist aspect was lacking, that can be explained away by the amateur nature of these kids. for me, the true highlight was the way Li managed to capture the various shades of the Asian diaspora between these five characters. to belong but not belong, to have various levels of attachment, to have captured the duality and nuance of it all, it was beautiful. at one point Will says that they're children of the diaspora which means they know loss and I don't think anyone has ever captured this as well as that line for me.

This was an interesting book that combines both a heist thriller with a moving meditation about art, heritage and belonging. A fascinating read.

Thank you NetGalley, Tiny Reparations Books, and Grace D. Li for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! Portrait of a Thief is a really unique book and I was super excited to pick it up. It’s a good debut novel that describes what it’s like to be Chinese-American in a great way, while featuring a unique cast of characters.

Despite this, I do agree with many other reviews on here and Goodreads and their critiques. I think that the premise was great, but as the story went on it started to drag a bit and was pretty unrealistic. The characters also started to mix together to me and their chemistry wasn’t really there. I feel like this author has a lot of potential though and I’m excited to see what’s next.

Just because this book wasn’t entirely for me, I can totally see why some people would love it. It has great representative and lyrical prose, but the whole thing seemed a little flat to me.

I actually DNF'd this book at around 41%. It wasn't keeping me engaged and the writing wasn't what I was expecting. As the entire premise of the novel are these art heists, I was expecting for there to be more of a cinematic style of writing or at least more tension. Unfortunately this one wasn't for me!

I love art and art history, but I generally just enjoyed museums before grad school. Now I know more and know museums need to do better.

And that’s how you end up loving this book and being fully on board with robbing museums.

While not my favorite book of the year it wasn’t bad. This is written in the voices of the four College kids of Chinese descent, who decide to complete an art heist of Chinese art being shown in some of Europes major art museums. Alex, the computer technician, Lily the getaway driver Daniel, the wannabe doctor, Will, the art historian, ring leader and plan developer, Irene, Will’s sister also a master planner. While all have Chinese heritage, Daniel is the only one with a familiarity of the Chinese culture since he went back to China every summer. Now they are all graduating from Ivy League schools but don’t feel the worth of that. Good story but very meandering so I had to take some breaks to get back into the story.
As I said good just not great and a little unbelievable but an interesting read. Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House for an ARC of this book.
#Netgalley #PenguinRandomHouse

I largely enjoyed this book and think a lot of readers will love it. Grace D. Li has written an engaging debut novel with a fantastic premise, a really winning cast of characters, and a lot to say about Chinese-American identity.

I also agreed with some of the critiques raised by other readers here and on goodreads. The pacing of this is off, and it doesn't truly work as a crime novel -- I am always willing to suspend disbelief, but there's a difference between accepting an absurd premise (China Poly hires five 21 year olds with no experience to rob the most famous museums in the world) and absurd and under-explained details (one of those 21 year olds "hacks the FBI"). The prose, while often lovely, was noticeably repetitive and sometimes pretty overwrought.

These shortcomings may be too big for some to overlook, but those who do will be rewarded with a thought-provoking book featuring characters who you root for. I'm looking forward to Grace D. Li's next book.