Reviewed for BookPage:
Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li is an enticing and stimulating escape: a heist novel that follows a group of young Chinese Americans in their quest to return stolen pieces of art to China. With a caper at its center and rebellion in its heart, Li’s debut is like Ocean’s Eleven meets Olga Dies Dreaming, a diaspora story wrapped up in a thriller.

When art history student Will Chen witnesses the theft of precious Chinese artifacts from the Harvard museum, it upends his life. Instead of revealing everything he knows to the authorities, he grabs a priceless carving for himself, and one of the thieves hands him a business card. He’s soon enlisting his sister and friends as his crew and flying first class to Beijing to meet the visionary behind a scheme to reclaim art plundered by Western governments. Chinese billionaire Wang Yuling offers Will $50 million to liberate five sculptures from museums across Europe and America.

A cinematic heist thriller with a social conscience, Portrait of a Thief is immediately appealing. But as this vivid and precisely crafted novel goes on, readers will be fascinated with the characters and their relationships as well as impressed by Li’s multifaceted exploration of Chinese American identity. The close third-person narration centers one of five characters in each chapter: Will; his tightly wound but charismatic sister, Irene; Daniel, a longtime family friend; Lily, a mechanical engineer and occasional street racer; and Alex, a software engineer who dropped out of MIT after her parents’ rent doubled. In addition to unique skills, each character has a distinct personality, motivations and perspective on being a child of the Chinese diaspora.

Though they don’t overshadow Portrait of a Thief’s strengths, some weaknesses are also evident.
3 1/2 stars
Read the full review online at BookPage: https://www.bookpage.com/reviews/portrait-of-a-thief-review/

Thanks to the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this debut from Grace D. Li about a group of Asian American college students who end up being recruited to steal (back) ancient Chinese sculptures from museums across the world. The ensemble in this story was great and I enjoyed each POV we got from them. This isn't a fast-paced, edge of your seat heist thriller, so don't go in expecting that. There are heists and all the fun that goes along with that, but I would describe this as more introspective. Each character, and the story at large, is examining what it means to be of two cultures, who does art belong to, and other thoughtful questions.

This is the May pick for Literary League and I know we'll be having some great discussions about it!

Thank you to dutton and netgalley for the e-arc. College students who take part in a multi-country art heist to bring back art that was stolen during colonization? Sign me up! Li weaves a tale that will have readers flying through the pages to find out if the young adults will succeed and what they're willing to lose in the process.

I started this book as an arc but stopped reading because of a few issues I had with the writing/plot details in the hopes that they would be fixed in the final copy and I didn't want it to impact my enjoyment of the book. I'm pleased to say that ~most~ of my issues were fixed and I ended up really, really enjoying it! One of the main things I was flabbergasted by in the arc was their use of Google Docs to plan the heist but that was changed to encrypted files in the final version (phew! talk about easily discoverable lol). There are a few other little things in this vein for which I think the reader needs to "suspend their disbelief" but I guess they are just college kids and not professional art thieves so I try not to hold it against them (or the book).

The writing was really beautiful and had this air of heartbreak and melancholy to it. It definitely fits the themes of the book and lends itself to creating a ~vibe~. The characters were always ruminating on the same things: their youthful arrogance, what their future held, the meaning of home, dreams, how soon their college days would be over, what it means to be part of the diaspora. All of these things are important and thought provoking but it got to the point where the same phrases were being used over and over and over. And there was SO. MUCH. use of the word dream/dreaming. I did a search for the word "dream" and it came up 115 times. That is literally once every 3 pages. Please find a new way to describe this feeling or stop bringing it up.

I think most of my negative feelings about the book could have been fixed by more dialogue, exposition, and actual plot mixed in with the ruminations of history and home. Most of the heist planning happened off-page which felt like lazy writing. I realize they're just college kids and not professional art thieves but if you're going to write and promote a heist book please commit to the heist! One pivotal scene had only 5 sentences of (mostly broken) dialogue in it. In a scene that really needed communication between the characters. I think more dialogue would have made me feel the crew's closeness more intensely. An experience like this would have created a unique bond between the characters but I just didn't feel it, I was only told about it.

There was also a few mentions of Covid and the pandemic which I thought were unnecessary.

My final pet peeve, which is an issue in a lot of books, JUST SAY THE WORD LESBIAN. The author dances around Irene's sexuality by describing her dating history and relationships and making her disinterest in men known, but the word lesbian is never said. I know not everyone needs or wants to label their sexuality but still. Just say lesbian.

This review so far makes it seem like I didn't love this book when I really did. I loved how messy and deeply flawed the characters were and the relationships that developed between them. I found myself squealing at the romance and shipping certain characters. I also loved one of the plot twists and the new characters it brought in. I LOVED the street racing scenes. Lily is a badass and I was living for it. I was moved by the development of the relationship between Daniel and his father. I think it's going to make an amazing tv show (or movie or whatever) and I can't wait to see these characters come to life.

I really hope Grace Li continues to write books (I know she's in med school so who knows!). I think she has a natural talent for storytelling and it will only get better from here.

Portrait of a Thief follows five college Chinese American college students who are effected by the diaspora and are realizing their identities. They get tapped by the CEO of a major Chinese corporation to steal five pieces of art that were themselves stolen by the West during colonization. The prize? 10 million each.

I liked the beginning of this one - the characters have a lot of potential and so does the plot. Unfortunately, that potential is never realized and the book gets pretty repetitive. I skimmed the last 60%. The heist aspects are barely there and there's a TON of suspension of disbelief required (the biggest thing for me was that anyone, especially these rich kids at fancy colleges, would agree to do something like this for only 2 million per heist. Nope). Seriously these kids are doing everything on What's App because it's encrypted. Yoikes. Add that to the fact that we never really get to know any of the characters (except for Daniel, who is awesome and Irene, who is not) and it was a miss for me.

TLDR: It's a promising premise with that falls short on delivery.

It's a good idea, and the author is a debut so I'd be willing to try future books by them, but this didn't do it for me. I absolutely think the right teenager will like it, so I will recommend it. 2 stars - it was ok.

Thanks to Penguin Random House and Netgalley for the ARC which I received in exchange for an unbiased review. Portrait of a Thief is out now!

This was a stunning debut, derived of the college students of diaspora rightfully stealing back stolen artwork from museums. it is the poetic justice I want from the art world. It wasn't a want, but a need. Too bad I was left disappointed a d underwhelmed.

With swooning characters, compelling and fast place plot, and the unforgettable feeling of reading prose so beautiful I had half the mind to forget my preference for short chapters. These chapters were far too short. I wanted more. More nuance. More beauty on top of beauty on top of first and second generational rage.

I wanted to love this book. But I fear the complexity that a concept like this required was not achieved.

I will always love a heist story, so I was predisposed to enjoy this. Portrait of a Thief was a fantastic, fast-paced story of identity and colonialism. I loved the planning and heist segments at the museums. And the shared diaspora experience within the crew, while they still all had unique perspectives on their Chinese/Chinese-American identity and reasonings for being involved in the heists. But while I liked the characters individually and collectively as a whole, I thought in micro relationships (platonic and romantic) were flat. I didn't buy any romantic feelings between anyone. Will, Irene, and Daniel were supposed to have known each other for years, Daniel and Alex had a short fling turned friendship, Irene and Lily are roommates - you could have told me none of these people had ever met before and I would have believed you. So while the plot was engaging and fun, the characters were a bit of mixed bag for me - I liked them all individually and as a unit, they each brought something to the team and created a full range of perspectives, but micro interpersonal relationship fell flat.

PORTRAIT OF A THIEF by Grace D. Li is a debut mystery novel that made the April 2022 LibraryReads list. The cover is quite arresting and the characters are likeable, but I found the plot improbable. Five college age friends (representing Harvard, Duke, MIT, and UCLA) accept a dare to steal priceless Chinese art in order to return it to China. Would they really risk careers in medicine, venture capital or Silicon Valley to respond to a friend's request (and the prospect of splitting $50 million)? Letting that question go would allow readers to enjoy the heist scenes planned by Will, his sister, Irene, her roommate (and getaway car driver) Lily, a talented software coder, Alex, and family friend, Daniel. Parts of PORTRAIT OF A THIEF work as a thriller and parts raise important questions about cross-cultural identity and about inter-generational relationships - bringing all of this together as a whole is a difficult task. Watching the forthcoming Netflix series could be fun, though! 3.5 stars

Related links:
https://libraryreads.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Final-Flyer-April-2022.pdf
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/grace-li-portrait-of-a-thief-netflix-tv-series-1234950097/

This is thrilling heist novel is about taking back what was stolen from China and just put in cases in museums all around the world. There are five main characters who are all Chinese Americans students (except for Alex because she dropped out). It all starts when Will Chen is present during a break in at the Sackler Museum where he is working and one of the thieves slips him a business card that draws him into a scheme that could change his life. Just like all heist stories we have leader who is the connection that holds the whole team together: Will, the con artist and his sister: Irene, the thief: Daniel, the driver: Lily, the hacker: Alex. They are offered the unique chance to right the wrongs that have been unethically committed when these famous museums decided to display the art that was stolen from China.

I love that they mentioned Oceans Eleven and Fast and Furious as they tried to study how to accomplish this enormous feat of breaking in and stealing priceless art from under the watchful eyes of the museums. The story was the perfect balance of fun heist antics and suspenseful thrills mixed with the seriousness of colonization of art and the discrimination of Chinese Americans. I know we're not supposed to root for the people committing crimes but in this case they were just taking back what was already stolen so I had no problem cheering on these intriguing characters as they labored to research and implement a plan to return what was taken from China. This was such an action packed thriller that had me at the edge of my seat whenever they were off on one of their heist and they were counting down the time they had left in the museum without getting caught. I love how each of the characters had a different connection to China and that itself created a lot of conflicts with their heist members. I think my favorite part of the book was the relationships between the five heist members and how well they worked with each other after they found their rhythm. My second favorite things about the story would have to be the extremely satisfying ending. I think this would make an amazing show or movie and if it does find its way to the big or small screen, I'll be one of the first to watch the adaption.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the digital copy of this book with me in exchange for an honest review.

I’m a big fan of media about heists/con artists, so I’ve been looking forward to PORTRAIT OF A THIEF . . . and it did not disappoint! This book follows five Chinese American college students as they reclaim stolen Chinese art. It is SO GOOD!!

I loved all five POVs and how they each grappled with identity, family, heritage, and their dreams and futures. There’s also a hate-to-love f/f romance which gave me all the feels.

Come for the heists, but stay for the discussions about Western imperialism and diaspora. This debut is not to be missed—and I can’t wait to see what Grace D. Li writes next!

3.5 stars

I am grateful to PENGUIN GROUP Dutton, Tiny Reparations Books for sending me an advanced copy of this book for review.

Ultimately, I found this book light and enjoyable . This is a modern-day heist novel with young people, which also manages to touch on the topics of culture, history, colonialism, and specifically the theft of artifacts and items from countries/cultures that are on display in modern day Western museums. It focuses on the larger topics of identity and nationalism, as well as more intimate topics like family. I thought all of this was quite interesting to see in a novel like this, because while this is a story that I would say is a mixture of Ocean's 11, and The Italian Job with a touch of Swordfish, the themes that were involved here went way beyond what you would expect from this plot.

While this story was enjoyable (I sped through it and had a great time) I did have a few things that made it not a 5 star for me. A lot of things just were too tropey for my personal liking. I listed three movies that I couldn’t help thinking about the entire time I was reading it, and this made it extremely predictable. There was the obvious trope of people with particular specialties being gathered together to be a team that accomplishes this task which added to the predictability of it. And we had a cast of young adults, so of course we had to deal with drama, pettiness, and romance which sometimes felt awkwardly spliced in, and the serious topics addressed seemed to lack nuance at times. This was all actually fine for me (believe it or not) but then there were all of the conveniences. Their plans for their heist and the plot were so simple and everything seemed so light and easy, that though we were aware that there were high stakes involved they never felt real. So, while this was a fun read, it did require a huge amount of suspending my disbelief, and that is what made me not rate it higher.

I did enjoy this book and I would recommend it to people who want a contemporary fast pace, fun, interesting novel that does touch on serious, intriguing topics. I would also say if you enjoy heist stories and you enjoy movies like Ocean's 11 or the Italian Job, or even the fast and Furious franchise, this might be an interesting one for you to look into.

A little bit Ocean's Eleven, a little bit The Breakfast Club, and a lot of perspective on big questions, like "Who owns art?" If you do something wrong for the right reasons, is it still wrong? I loved this story - the settings were vivid, the characters were dimensional, and I really didn't see the conclusion the author presents coming in any way. The book is that perfect blend of high-speed action and deep, late-night conversation. Loved it.

This is the first review I've written in like... ever? And WOW, I could not have chosen a better book to get back on the bandwagon for. Portrait of a Thief is brilliant, emotional, tightly paced, and wound up in all my heartstrings. The novel follows a group of college students who become hired thieves exploring questions of cultural ownership, loyalty, family, and national identity.

I've always been fascinated by museums and the art world, which is maybe why this book hit so hard for me, but I think it would be tough to avoid getting invested in Li's compelling characters and authentic portrayal of their different relationships to the mission that ties them together. Every heist needs a leader, a hacker, a driver, a thief, and a con artist. Now, what I love most about Portrait of a Thief is it takes these complicated tropes and archetypes and nuances them, because in addition to their different feelings about criminality, all of the characters are children of the Chinese diaspora, wanting to relate to a country that feels both familiar and alien to all of them through family relationships and cultural significance.

As mentioned in the synopsis, a central argument of Portrait of a Thief is the impact of colonialist mentalities on museum collections around the world. What happens when one culture feels entitled to keep stolen art in the name of academia and history, but the country of origin wants it back? I'm an Indian-American art student, so on some level I understand the desire to see museum collections repatriate artifacts they have no claim to--it's enraging to see misattributed art, or works that aren't properly explained within their cultural context because they've been looted. On the other hand, I don't believe that all artwork should automatically be displayed only within its country of origin--so many people would lose the opportunity to see global art because of lack of access to travel, or the risk in transporting priceless art overseas. Museums with global collections are a wonderful concept, linking art from many countries in this way. But I digress. My point is, Portrait of a Thief gave me space to explore the implications of both schools of thought, and allowed me to develop my own opinion based on the actions of the characters. It's such a brilliant book precisely because it joins entertainment with the urge to form original thought.

Li's prose is brilliant--each chapter is incisive and powerful. I was truly immersed in the story, and I would definitely read a sequel or spinoff. The pacing works--the heists aren't always very well planned, which is to be expected since college students don't typically seem like the best option for hired thieves. In the end, there was more than one surprising twist, but I wasn't reading for shock value and it didn't seem as though that was the goal of Li's writing either. I came away feeling more like I'd read an introspective literary novel than a high-stakes heist thriller. If you're looking for schematic diagrams and high-tech thievery, perhaps this isn't the novel for you. The thing to remember about Portrait of a Thief is that the crimes serve a purpose, and aren't the main focus of the story. The point is to ask questions about cultural identity, art ownership, and the lasting legacy of colonialism.

I'm giving Portrait of a Thief 5/5 stars--this is one of my favorite books of 2022 already. Go pick it up! (And while you're at it, visit a nearby museum and look at some art. I guarantee you'll have fun.)

the style is a bit juvenille and it seemed to me that the author delves into the story's various themes in a rather superficial way, as the narrative seemed more interested in making these kids seem cool and edgy. i can see this book appealing to six of crow fans as the whole heist/in-group dynamics carry similarities.

This was such an amazing and intriguing concept, and I'm very sad that the execution disappointed me. Firstly, the book was boring, which is something because with the idea of an art heist full of Chinese-American cast I was not expecting boring. The writing style wasn't engaging, and all the characters had similar narrator voices and I couldn't tell them apart unless I paid attention to their names. Even the heist weren't very flashed out and were confusing to read. I managed to read till the 60% mark and then skimmed to the end. I wish I enjoyed the book more but this wasn't for me.

Portrait of a Thief promised a cultural heist and it succeeded!

Disclaimer: I am not Chinese American, so I did not see my experiences reflected in the characters. I have not received apologies in the form of cut-up fruit, attended an Ivy League (let alone any college/university), or worked for big tech companies. So I think it is all the more impressive that I was able to empathize with each and every thief. Despite the characters’ shared identity as Chinese Americans, they were all distinct. Some of them grew up in rowdy restaurants while others grew up as wealthy first-generation immigrants, so they all possessed different goals and nuanced belief systems. Through them and their heist, Li explored varying family structures, levels of fluency in Mandarin and Cantonese, and relationships with China and the diaspora. As a result, the crew members’ attitudes often conflicted, which allowed for even more thought-provoking discussions of art, colonialism, and heritage to emerge. 

"But you—you were born here. This place is yours. Why would you want to take from it?"

I found Portrait of a Thief more philosophical than thrilling. The heist created the backdrop for the aforementioned debates, but because of the dream-like flow of the writing, the details of the heist remained murky. I couldn’t fully appreciate the ingenuity of the characters’ solutions to each heist because I didn’t always understand them. Time also passed inconsistently, which made it difficult to track the subplots between the heists. I am actually a fan of storytelling that plays with the passage of time, but the novel felt stretched too thin between trying to be high-stakes and contemplative at the same time. 

Still, Portrait of a Thief is an incredibly impressive debut! I love Li’s writing style, and I’m very interested in what she publishes next.

Portrait of a Thief was quite a wild ride. The book was likened to Oceans Eleven and in some ways it could be seen as similar, but this also took on a very different storyline. The five main characters are Chinese. Their characterization was well thought out and you find reasons to love each one in their own way. The plot was well thought out and no detail was overlooked. Overall I enjoyed this book a lot. It was an easy read that kept me drawn in the whole time.

Portrait of a Thief is a unique debut novel that explores identity, the Chinese diaspora, and the last effects of colonialism through a story of an unlikely, inexperienced group of college students undertaking major art heists.

When it came to reviewing this book, I had a lot to digest. I was excited to read a heist novel that dove into a bit of art history and the continuing colonialism in the art world. However, Grace D. Li clearly meant for Portrait of a Thief to make an impact beyond an entertaining story about a group of friends committing theft.

I found Portrait of a Thief to be a semi-successful, but definitely amusing, attempt of a heist novel. The fact that an incredibly wealthy adult would high a rag-tag group of college students to rob some of the foremost museums in the world requires some suspension of belief. Details in planning and during the actual events seem to be something the reader is intended to overlook or accept while marveling at the success or failure of the group. While these things did not ultimately bother me too much, I think Portrait of a Thief would have been a more successful if it had been more tongue-in-cheek than it was. Instead, Li writes a novel that takes itself quite seriously and is filled with characters musing about their identities, families, colonialism, and art.

While the plot was compelling and the characters fleshed out, I think Li’s desire to make a statement about diaspora within a heist novel left the book without a cohesive narrative or clear takeaway. Throughout its pages, Portrait of a Thief repetitively mentions grief, longing, and loss, and readers are presumably supposed to connect these to Chinese diaspora and their identities as first or second generation Chinese Americans. The characters all struggle to varying degrees with these emotions and seek healing. But I would argue that Li failed to clearly establish the source of these feelings or their relation to the diaspora. In addition, Li seemingly argues that money equates with ultimate happiness. She also offers an idolized view of China, which I think most people will find at odds with their own perceptions or knowledge.

By the end of Portrait of a Thief, I had grown tired of the repetitious nature of the characters’ personal stories and descriptions. Furthermore, I was left unsatisfied with the lack of connection between the characters’ motivations, feelings, and identities.

Overall, I did enjoy Portrait of a Thief and found it to be an entertaining read. But I think Li lacked clarity about she wanted the book to be – a heist novel or a character study of Chinese American identity and diaspora – and thus, failed to fully execute either. Instead of offering my usual recommendation, I leave it up to you to weigh the pros and cons and decide whether this book is right for you.

I really enjoyed this book! The way the story was told reminded me of a movie. I loved the premise and the ongoing plot. I did find the last act a bit lacklustre? I think I expected more from the climax and while the stakes were there, I never felt anything for them? Sure they had their futures to lose but not much else. I also do think this book suffered what many books do with multi-povs, the first hundred or so pages, I kept mixing up which character was which. While they had their distinct issues and personalities, it was difficult to keep track of everyone.
Also, the two 'main' characters - I wanted to slap them. I loved them don't get me wrong, but I wanted to yell. The 'side' characters though?? My heart is yours. Lily, Alex, Daniel, you can do me no wrong.

If OCEANS 11 and CRAZY RICH ASIANS had a baby, it would be PORTRAIT OF A THIEF.

Add a dash of THE FAREWELL, FAST AND FURIOUS: TOKYO DRIFT, JOY LUCK CLUB, art museums and did I mention OCEANS 11?

I always love a good heist plot. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea and can be a little slow on the uptake, but they are so entertaining!

Oceans will forever a favorite for me and this one reminded me of it. The sleight of hand, the lifts, the pickpocketing etc. But it also had so much culture, history and great writing.

This one was character driven- each character is related, has a rich background, different motivations and is so interesting to read about.

It’s not Asian American month yet, but I’m calling it-this would be THE PERFECT book to read for it!

Thank you @tinyrepbooks and @penguinrandomhouse for the e-arc and the finished copy!