Five Chinese-American college students. Five Chinese artifacts. Fifty million dollars. What could go wrong?

Portrait of a Thief isn't quite a book about exciting heists with elaborate plots and special technology; the characters are well aware that they're not specialists, but college students with something to prove. Rather, the heist is the vehicle driving the character arcs of our five main players: Will Chen, the leader; Alex Huang, the hacker; Lily Wu, the getaway driver; Irene Chen, the con artist; and Daniel Liang, the one with inside knowledge. You certainly have to suspend your disbelief a bit at how smoothly things go sometimes and how sometimes these kids are planning their heists over Zoom yet somehow don't get caught, but Portrait of a Thief shines in its examination of identity.

At the heart of the novel is longing. All of the characters are Chinese-American, with varying degrees of connection to the culture of their Chinese ancestors. Daniel, for instance, immigrated to America with his father and only recently gave up his Chinese citizenship for a better chance at applying to medical school, while Lily Wu has never known life outside of her home in Texas. Li beautifully taps into that deep yearning that people within the diaspora feel in regards to the land of their ancestors, and how isolating it can feel to be at once Chinese and American yet somehow not enough of either. The novel explores the Chinese-American experience of growing up as the child of immigrants who pursue the American Dream, all the while locked down by expectations that can smother their ability to truly be free.

The novel made comparisons between the modern youth of China and the diaspora, and how much you question your own attachment to the mainland when you feel so far removed. I felt it was a bit of a missed opportunity to have all of the characters be rather recent immigrants, and it could have been interesting to see the dichotomy of newer immigrant characters against a character whose ancestors immigrated in the 1800s and experienced the rampant sinophobia of that time.

The writing is just stunning. It is at times repetitive (alright, I got it, they've all got nice high cheekbones), but full of beautiful prose that feels so lovingly crafted. Made me tear up a bit. A lot. I was reading this on my phone while taking a morning walk and I had to stop and sniffle a few times.

Portrait of a Thief is such a fabulous way to start off the new year that hits home in the best way. And for bonus points, we get to follow along with some lovely slow-burn romances between the heist members. I do love this book dearly and I'm so thankful to Netgalley for sending me an eARC!

This was a very atmospheric read that would make a great limited series - which, I learnt from the acknowledgements, is going to happen as it's sold to Netflix. Very much a character study, a history lesson, more than the action of a heist, quite hard to categorise this book, but it was good.

Enjoyed this one! I liked most the characters; they felt very human. Can definitely see why it's being adapted for screen!

It's less heisty and more reflective than I expected. Still like it though.

Portrait of a Thief is primarily an exploration of the cultural weight of being Chinese diaspora, the ethicality of museums displaying art that has been looted (especially in the name of imperialism or colonialism) and coming to terms with being Chinese-American.

Now, I'm in love with a good story, especially if it has to do something with art, cause I'm a fanatic. An art <u>heist</u>, you say? I'll snatch that story off your hands before you even realize it. The story kicks off on a strong note, instantly establishing what the main ideas of the story are and what you should expect. Things slow down once the characters are preparing for their first heist. As the story continues on, it's clear that some aspects of the heist (either in the planning, executing or getting-away stages) are right on that edge of "I can't believe this" and "there's enough plausibility that it could work." Admittedly, several details lean more towards the former, for there were some highly questionable details/actions that should've tipped off the authorities. Plot-armour, perhaps? I feel like I'm expecting too much professionalism and expertise about stealing from these amateur thiefs (and these expectations are likely fueled by Hollywood) so I'm gonna let this go.

I really enjoyed the reflective aspect of this book, and how each character captures and carries a different facet of the weight of being Chinese diaspora trying to make it in America in each of them. It's quite relatable and greatly humanizes these characters. Speaking of, this cast is alright. Each character had their moment to shine, we get ideas about each of their interests, insecurities and backstories. My only qualm is that I wish that the dynamics (the hate-you-but-love-you pairing, the sibling rivalry etc) are played up a little bit more. If it did, it would be the cherry on top. But hey, at least these characters are tightly woven into the core of the story.

Li's language is tangible and easy to grasp, with accents of poetic prose when the book gets reflective. There was one particular phrase that kept being repeated, and though I get the effect it has (talking to oneself to visualize, reminding me of internal monologue voiceovers in movies when the characters are butting in to tell the story from their POV), it gets old.

Conclusion: while flawed, it's a promising debut!

<i>Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Group Dutton for providing me with the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. </i>

This book combined a heist with art. I love both separately and even more when they are combined in a book. Highly recommended for fans of Ocean’s 11.

This was a very interesting book in many ways. Our heritage, a country's heritage, colonialism, and patriotism, are all driving forces behind this story. It really makes you think.
I didn't really relate to the characters. If they weren't rich, they were smart or had another talent that was extreme. It makes sense for the story line but I didn't become invested in their lives or their future.
All in all, worth the time to read it. And I think it would be a great movie if they used a culturally appropriate cast.

Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li follows a group of Chinese-American university students who are recruited to pull off heists, where they’re tasked to steal back what was stolen first- Chinese art pieces. The reward? Fifty million dollars split five ways.

Although advertised as a heist novel, I found that it was more of a commentary about culture and how a person can be disconnected from it when they move to a different country. Heists were on the backburner and were not explained in-depth, making them appear surface level, and the thrill one expects from such scenes was almost non-existent. Along with the general disappointment I felt with scenes that should have been action-packed, keeping up with five character point of views was difficult. Unfortunately, they all felt one-dimensional and strangely like they were the same versions of each other, especially with their repetitive internal dialogues.

That being said, Portrait of a Thief is about reclaiming what colonialism took from Chinese culture. It’s about grappling with your own identity as an American with roots in another country- the feelings of not belonging. It’s about the war between trying to make your family proud or taking the more unconventional and less desired route in life. And that, I found wholly refreshing.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

I've been sitting on this review for a minute because I wanted to organize my thoughts. This book shaped itself up to be one of my top books of 2022 and I was SO excited to read it. I really enjoyed it, I thought it was a great story and I was really invested in the characters. The main characters grappled with their identity, as college students, as children of immigrants, and as Chinese-Americans and I really enjoyed how fleshed out this was in the book. It's one of my favourite parts of New Adult books. However, as a heist novel, it fell short. I felt it was working two different angles too hard and I didn't find them well-blended. I think, either with a more weaved storyline or as two separate books this might have been a top read, but it is not quite there.

I do think this is a smashing debut and I'm really excited to see where Grace D. Li goes next!

A heist novel that involves the Chinese diaspora reclaiming and returning Chinese art acquired by western museums out of conquest and colonization... wow. A stellar concept...

that was not executed in such a stellar manner.

This book was repetitious, gratingly so. In a 384 page book, there are 162 mentions of "China," 144 mentions of "Beijing," and 148 mentions of "Chinese". This is a culmination of all five POVs that each have their different experiences with their Chinese identity. I have met a lot of my book friends here through reading R.F. Kuang's The Poppy War, so to put this into context: Rin's name is referenced a grand total of 100 times in book one, which is 530 pages.

This isn't to condemn the story that Li was trying to tell. If anything, I was excited to read about other characters who are also grappling with their diasporic identity like myself. As an individual whose lifelong home has been one that repeatedly and continues to exploit the never-visited "homeland", I was desperate to give this book a shot, to love it and hold it close. However. While each character is individually interesting, it is hard to not stumble on a single page that doesn't mention China at least once. All five characters -- Will, Irene, Daniel, Lily, and Alex -- reach their respective epiphanies regarding their Chinese identity through similar language. Too similar, I would argue. In a way, I wonder if that's perhaps a cool thing -- that each character is like a different dimension of one singular portrait. I want to have good faith in the repetition, but it was simply too much. Oftentimes, it's a result of poor characterization.

For a heist novel that is incredibly character-oriented (there seemed to be more emphasis on what the characters were "thinking" or "had thought" rather than executing the heist/attempting to execute the heist), this was a dealbreaker for me. I feel strongly that multi-POV novels assume a unique position where experimenting with style and voice is a necessity in order to further strengthen the narrative via the multiple perspectives. Particularly as the number of POVs increase. Otherwise, you end up having multiple chapters dedicated to a number of characters who feel like secondary ones in terms of how fleshed out/distinctive their voices are from the rest. There were definitely a few dynamics within this book that, compared to the amount of word count they got, felt underdeveloped by a jarring amount. I am specifically thinking about the Irene/Alex "hatred", Lily's supposed connection to China felt immediately despite lamenting her disconnection mere pages prior, Will's dedication to Lily.

Echoing some other reviews I've seen, the plot itself felt under-researched, particularly the technology. I did indeed notice Li writing about how this book is an ode to all of her passions, which I really admire but think may have weakened the amount of research needed to retain plot coherence in a multi-POV novel containing multiple heists.

All in all, I was intrigued by the concept, but the execution unfortunately fell flat for me.

I have mixed feelings about this. I thought it was okay but at the same time I expected more. Well, a lot more.

The prose was good, from the very first chapter I knew the vibes and atmosphere were my cup of tea. I was really interested in getting to know all the characters but I found their point of views to be not so distinct from each other. I liked how they were in their early 20s though, and how they were having doubts as to where to proceed from there. That said, I still didn’t grow very attached to them.

I wish we could have seen more of their dynamics with each other instead of a few mentions here and there. And with the heists, I expected more (for some reason, they felt too easy to me). When I found out there was a character that was a street racer, I expected action scenes like car chase scenes, or just more heart-thumping scenes as the characters rob museums. Me wondering if what would go wrong, would they get out, etc. there wasn’t much of that. I didn’t feel much of a rush. Although, this could be pointed back to the characters being quite relaxed and confident in a situation where clearly not everything is in their control, despite it being their first time doing heists. The narrative was also repetitive, there were instances wherein each point of view would have close to the same train of thought. In my case, it diminished my enjoyment and made me feel like going around in circles; it was just so noticeable.

That aside, I liked the characters and the way they slowly learned how to work together and use their skills and connections to their advantage, but the execution of this story definitely could have been better. There could have been more research done as well. Hopefully, in the author’s future works this could be remedied.

Riveting plot with a wonderful ensemble cast, I was on the edge of my seat the whole time while reading it.

Portrait of a Thief is a fantastic and realistic heist novel. When college students with a deep love for China are hired to steal back priceless Chinese artifacts from museums around the world, chaos ensues.

With a frank look at museums and how they get their art, this novel provides excellent depth and understanding to how a group of people could come to attempt to steal back their cultures art. This concept of a heist has been done so many times before but this angle of it is the best. Confronting violent and whitewashed history and the profound loss stolen art creates, this book inevitably asks reads how much do we really know about where the art we look at comes from.

Li perfectly captures the extreme pressures and expectations placed onto first gen kids who are having to navigate adulthood alongside their deep yearning for connection to their culture. All five characters have to deal with this along with finding a purpose for this "American Dream" their parents came to the U.S. for.

I found the plot and the characters relationships we see to be very interesting. Some of the writing is really quotable and beautiful as well. All of the five main characters are relatable, making me want to see each of them find purpose. The toll that grief, expectations and diaspora add to a family was extremely prevalent and well done.

The only complaint I have is the characters could have been a bit more fleshed out which tends to be an issue with books that have multiple POVs.

The pacing of this novel was well done and had a very satisfying ending as well. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to seeing more of Li's work. This would make an amazing movie.

This was really great, exactly what I thought it would be but also more. I can't wait to read what Grace D. Li writes next.

Also, my excitement for the Netflix series knows no bounds.

If ever a caper novel was made for the big screen, this clever, well paced and smartly plotted story at of five college friends embarking on a quest to "liberate" a set of priceless sculptures from museums all over the world and return them to China, where they were looted by Western collectors, is it .
The fact that the father of one of the ad-hoc gang is the top federal art cop adds some emotional depth to the story, but it's not as important as the relationships among the young art thieves. What turns them into a gang with a bigger goal than stealing one sculpture from one collection - where one of of the five happens to work - is the gang of parallel thieves they encounter on the way to their own theft, who ignore what they've come for in favor of other treasures in the collection . There's not confrontation, just a business card , and once they follow up on it, they're offered a chance at an even bigger carpet, which involves four other liberating trips to museums around the world.
No spoilers here - not for three book, which is destined for the best seller list, or the movie, which is practically inevitable . But it's a rollicking good story told at breathtaking pace and hard to put down until the last page

The premise of this book immediately captured me. Art? A heist? Asian American identity? Colonization? This novel contains it all. In the beginning, I wasn't sure if the author would be able to pull it off and still manage to have complex characters. My fear was only partly founded. Yes, there could have been more to the characters, but if you also include the necessary details around the nature of art acquisition and also the heists themselves, she does a great job of balancing it all out. I also liked that she doesn't hand-feed readers opinions about the history and current practices of how art institutions acquire their works. Through the characters (well, mostly Will), we learn about this topic, but the author doesn't dumb it down. You have to have some critical thinking skills to take what's given and then relate it to the larger themes at play. Despite my very minor complaint about character development, I think one area where this novel shines is showcasing the varied experiences of, in this case, Chinese Americans. The characters show what it's like to feel Chinese. Or American. Or Chinese American. Or somewhere in-between or floating within. I felt that acutely, and I'm willing to get a lot of other readers will too.

Why my nose was in this book:
Support for a AAPI debut author!
The story kept me gripped from the beginning, fast-paced and smart
I appreciated how the character stories weaved into the overall heist plot, especially Daniel’s story
I enjoyed the discussion of self within being American and Chinese and the struggles of being “too American” or “not Chinese enough” or vice versa, it was something that I related with
Sometimes I struggle with reading numerous character perspectives, but in this case, I enjoyed understanding everyone’s motives to join the heist and their hidden struggles leading up to each one, even if they portrayed cool confidence on the outside

I did want to scream at every single one of them - $10M each to pull off five heists? Five? That doesn’t seem like nearly enough and surely, with one specific item to steal in each museum, their heists will only get more attention and more difficult to pull off. It seemed like a disaster from the get go, but is it? You need to read it to find out!

A fast-paced, complex novel about five Asian Americans in their early 20s, who embark on a series of heists to steal back Chinese art from Western museums.

Will Chen is facing the final months of his education in Art History at Harvard. He is restless because he doesn't see any clear future for himself. At work in an art gallery one day, he watches thieves. Taking an opportunity, he palms a small jade horse. As the thieves leave, one of them slips him a card with a phone number on it. He is intrigued and wants to find out why they gave him the card. He is being recruited by a private art collector who wants to finish her collection of Chinese zodiac medallions. If successful, Will receives $10 million dollars. Will knows that he can't pull off this heist alone so he turns to some friends. His sister Irene is beautiful, smart, and talks her way out of anything. Her roommate is Lily, student by day and street racer by night. Will's best friend, Daniel, has quick hands and nerves of steel. The final member of the group is Alex, a code writing whiz that works for Google.

As this group begins to scheme how to pull off this theft, Will feels he finally has a purpose. The art in question was stolen from China many years ago and Will's group feels that they are righting a wrong. Can these students become masterminds and steal the medallions? The first theft will be unexpected but once the authorities identify their goal, the jobs will become much more difficult.
Will they be able to steal all 5 medallions and avoid getting caught?

Grace Li created an entertaining book. Beyond the entertainment, she shares the frustration of Chinese-American people living in America. Through her characters, she shows the poor behavior and attitudes of people toward them. It is very educational to read about these frustrations and an excellent reminder to everyone to examine their prejudices. It is also illuminating to look at art and the behind the scenes acquisition of pieces at galleries and museums. There should be accountability for how any piece is acquired. Grace Li does an excellent job of challenging our behaviors while encouraging everyone to do better. Start to finish, this is a book that will hold your interest and steal your imagination.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Style/Trope/TLDR: Oceans 11 meets Killmonger in a coming of age story

Five young Chinese-Americans are given the opportunity to steal five zodiac heads in one year for $10 million each. But each of the heist participants are stealing back the zodiac heads for more complex reasons than that. The story thrives as it's told through the perspectives of each of the five individuals, and each of them has their own individual voice. I personally gravitated most towards Daniel and Alex and felt invested in them as characters. The descriptive language is lush and beautiful, though maybe a little heavy at times.

The best parts of this book are the emotional windows it provides into its characters and its capacity to surprise me as it goes. Without saying more, the book eschews the typical tropes I would expect of it, but at the same time, it doesn't do that in predictable ways. Definitely would recommend and will also reread.

Portrait of a Thief seemed to appear every time I went online looking for new releases, after reading the description I knew why immediately. This book is a really fun book to read made even more fun by the fact that this is about a group of college kids with no experience in thieving. Along with the lighthearted parts there were some more serious elements to the book, such as living as Chinese-Americans, doing well in life, living up to parental expectations, and the feelings all the characters had about how the other countries stole Chinese art as a show of power. It was a fun read that gave you something to really think about. I can't wait to see this book on the shelves!