I went into this book with so much expectations, and sad to say, they weren't met. Grace D. Li's writing, although certainly beautiful and interesting at first, felt quite repetitive as the book went along. And as a reader with such a short attention span, I do appreciate the shortly written chapters. But besides that, it didn't feel like the book gave what it was supposed to be giving. The prose was clearly well-written, but somehow, at the end of the day, it still felt empty and lacking.

I'm not an expert on heists, Chinese culture, or art theft, whatsoever, but sometimes it did feel like there was a big chunk of information missing. I feel like the novel didn't fully explore the subject topics that it was supposed to be serving the audience. Then again, maybe I'm just being too analytical about these things.

Also, the steps that they took in planning the heist was kind of stupid idk.

Excellent heist novel with a twist, the theft was of relics stolen from China during colonisation. I really enjoyed Portrait of a Thief. It was told from several points of view, switching between the crew members. A fast, exciting suspenseful read. Loved it!!!! Thanks to Net Galley for the chance to read the ARC

“What’s wrong with wanting everything?”
“Nothing, as long as you know how to get it.”

Five Chinese-American students are hired to steal back five works of Chinese art from around the world to return them to the country they were looted from.

Portrait of a Thief is, in a lot of ways, less of a heist story than a story that happens to have some heists. More than anything, it’s character driven; we see all five members of the crew develop and change with each heist, we see their relationships grow and take new shapes, we see how human each one of them is. For the most part, the characters are fully fleshed out, and none of them are perfect. Each is both good and bad, not always in equal parts; there’s a point in the book for each one of them where you almost hate them, and I’ve always felt that a character I can both hate and love is a well written one.

There are moments, too, where it’s painfully clear how young they all are—all of them in their early 20s, all of them full of the self-righteous ego that often goes along with that age. Their pretentiousness and arrogance, while at times frustrating, fit both the age and the characters, who are all painted as brilliant students (or, for Alex, just brilliant). Some of their brilliance could be a bit beyond belief—Irene spoke fluent french after only learning it in high school and not using it since, for example—but, as discussed below, in the grand scheme of things a few stretched details isn’t the end of the world.

The themes of this book, too, feel much more the focus than the heists themselves. Colonialism is, of course, at the forefront; it’s the root of the motivation behind the heists in the first place. Cultural diaspora and identity also play major roles for each of the characters. In a lot of ways it felt very coming-of-age, watching all these young adults struggling to figure out who they are, what they want, and what comes next. It never felt like there was one right answer or set takeaway and I loved that open ended-ness. Grace D. Li handles all of these themes beautifully, and if it hit me this hard I can only imagine how hard it’ll hit for those who’ve lived similar experiences.

I’ll readily admit that this book asks you to suspend your disbelief pretty heavily. The main bones of the heist itself are far-fetched, and the reasons why Will and his friends were chosen for these heists aren’t the strongest. Planning a major crime through Google Docs and Zoom and all these other wildly unsecured platforms—with background narration on how thorough and careful the crew was being—was almost comical. There’s so much planning for when they’re actually carrying out the heists, then an obvious paper trail of all their planning and major gaps in their plans that are just overlooked. None of this is the end of the world, but for me personally it pulled me out of the story at times.

In addition to this, I personally wish there’d been a little more focus on the heists themselves; as I mentioned, I love how character and narrative driven Portrait of a Thief is at its heart. But I picked this up when I did because I was in the mood for a heist novel, and in the end it just didn’t scratch that itch.

Overall, Portrait of a Thief tells an exciting and heart-wrenching story full of adventure and poignant character moments. While it very much felt like a debut, and the writing could be repetitive, the story draws you in and holds you there. I loved all but one of the characters so much, and they felt so real and flawed and human. The ending underwhelmed me, but I appreciated how optimistic the last 10% or so felt. Definitely recommend, and I can’t wait to see what Grace Li does next.

In her debut novel Li successfully blends a heist novel with an introspective literary take on the Chinese diaspora, colonialism, and art. When art history student Nathan Chen is recruited to steal five priceless pieces looted from the Imperial Palace, he gathers an archetypical crew—con artist, driver, hacker, and thief—each with their own complicated relationship with China, their families, and each other. Can a group of Chinese-American twenty-somethings pull this off? It’s definitely worth finding out.

Unfortunately, this book did not live up to the hype. I was so excited to be reading a book about art history, which I love, and themes addressing stolen art and museum culpability. What this book gives you, however, is a very repetitive, poorly crafted story that includes very little heist, very little depth to characters or the themes of art theft, and little to no acknowledgment that China, though deserving of its art, has some serious problems, including human rights violations and an oppressive government that would not look kindly on many of the main characters in this book, all of whom seem to have such rosy, patriotic views of this country.

Though I cannot claim to know much about reclaiming art and what museums should do with the art they did not come by honorably, or what it is like to be a child of diaspora, I do feel like the author didn't provide much depth to these topics. Much of the book is very superficial, with the same thoughts and feelings the main characters express being reiterated over and over and over again. I feel like I don't know any of these characters at all and none of them felt believable to me. I certainly didn't feel like the relationships that develop between them are at all earned based on how little character development occurs during this book. Because of this, I didn't really like any of the characters. They all felt like caricatures and none of them, with maybe the exception of Daniel, really grew or changed over the course of the book. I'd say the two main characters, Will and Irene, are some of the most selfish, entitled characters I've ever read about and I was not rooting for them to succeed at all, which is sad.

The writing in this book is just very repetitive. I was so bored. The parts I expected to be exciting, like the heists, were glossed over, and what little is explained is very unbelievable. I can suspend my disbelief when reading certain kinds of fiction, but this book does not provide any sense that it knows what is going down is outlandish, rather it passes it off as if this is a totally legit way to carry out a heist. The fact that college students are hired to pull off a heist, with little to no evidence that they would be capable of such a thing, and that said college students watch heist movies as research, use Google Docs and Whats Apps to write down and communicate all their plans, it's just baffling that they didn't get caught after the first one.

I almost didn't want to finish this book because it was just so boring. I wanted to see how Li would end the book, but I can't say I'm impressed or glad that I did. It didn't change how I felt about the book and it didn't feel like it was earned by all that came before. Spoilers, but the end result of the book was how they should have gone about pulling off these "heists" in the first place, and I almost flipped a table when it was revealed that that was how they solved their problems and wondered why they didn't just do that in the first place. I don't think I'll be recommending this book.

On premise alone, this is extremely my shit. Absolutely love hot geniuses with sexual tension doing an art heist rooted in anti-colonialism. But in terms of execution, things fell apart a bit for me. Nearly every page seemed to have a description of the light, the air, or how someone's skin was handling the light or the air. Sometimes all of the above. My brain can handle a lot, but I could only take so many instances of "washed in golden light." Like, at a certain point, I just assumed it was all golden light or moonlight or some combination of the two. It distracted me from what at its core, could have been a rich interweaving of action romp and identity examination. All of that aside, this will surely make an A+ miniseries (if casted with care) and I remain excited to see what Grace D. Li does next!

During the middle of a robbery at the museum where he works, a business card is thrust into Will Chen's hand. When he calls the number, he finds himself putting together a crew and traveling to Berlin for a once in a lifetime opportunity. The crew is offered 50 million dollars to steal five Chinese artifacts from museums around the world.

I had a hard time getting into this book. The characters felt extremely stereotypical. Just about every chapter had one character or another talking about their displacement and unease as a second generation immigrant. This in itself wasn't off-putting, but it became extremely repetitious. With some editing, this could have been a more exciting adventure, but instead I found myself growing bored. Overall, 2 out of 5 stars.

Portrait of a Thief is an amazing heist novel. And an intimate look at what it means to be young and Chinese-American or Chinese in America.

3.5/5 I’m very conflicted with my review and rating. This book was good but as a Chinese American it was wonderful reading about so many characters that felt and looked like me. I felt seen. Grace does a wonderful job with making each character felt real and relatable. Each character had their own struggles and relationship with diaspora. I enjoyed the multiple POV’s and how we got a glimpse into each character.

The actual heists were okay but if you’re looking for a flawless high suspense heist without some loopholes you might be a little disappointed. I did like how Grace does address the mistakes the crew made and how as college kids they were cocky and not perfect with their execution of the heists. It did feel a little silly at some times and a little too easy. It was still enjoyable but if you’re looking for heists and action focused this really isn’t it. It felt more like a heist an a lot of internal monologues about what identity and each characters relationship with diaspora. It’s a bit like a messier college age version of Oceans 11.

Overall I did enjoyed this book. It is a solid debut and the prose is lovely but I wouldn’t say it was knock my socks off. I think I overhyped it and the synopsis ended up making the story sound a bit more interesting and exciting. I did love the discussion of art, art ownership and colonialism. The inclusion of identity and existing as a child of two worlds was presented wonderfully. I still recommend this as a diverse look at what it means to be Chinese American. I can’t wait to see what Grace writes next.

Thank you PENGUIN GROUP Dutton, Tiny Reparations Books for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars - I would say the "portrait" aspect of this book worked a lot better for me than the "thief" part. As character studies centered around the Chinese diaspora, this was really thought provoking and interesting. I wasn't as sold by the heist aspect... those parts felt more cinematic & "hand waveium," so perhaps if this is adapted, those parts would feel more successful & fun for me? Still, I did enjoy this book overall as a fresher kind of story and appreciated it as a different kind of thriller/suspense book than we normally see pushed

In Portrait of a Thief we follow a cast of five Chinese-American college students as they become entangled in high levels of art theft. Overall for a debut this was a great novel. The writing was very descriptive and the book felt like a love letter to the first generation American experience. But for me the first half of the novel was so difficult to get through. I couldn't understand certain character motivations, and over all the premise was weak because I couldn't believe why a bunch of random college students would be recruited for this heist. Around the 60% mark it got a bit more interesting because most of my gripes were addressed by new characters calling out the blind ambition of our primary cast.

Will Chen's sticky fingers and essay on the obligation of museums to return looted artwork intrigue a Chinese plutocrat. She offers him $50,000,000 if he steals back five bronze fountainheads pilfered during the sack of Beijing's Old Summer Palace. The art history major recruits four other young Chinese Americans: smooth-talking Irene, software engineer Alex, steady-handed Daniel, and speed demon Lily. Loyalty and the chance to restore a piece of their heritage drive them as much as the money. It will take a heap of miracles for the ill-prepared amateurs to pull off five heists, but that's the fun. The crime is less fleshed-out than the meditation on the Chinese diaspora.

I think the main problem with this book is that it has two incredible premises, but it doesn't commit to either one. One is a fast-paced, semi-absurd heist full of action and deception, and one is a meditation on colonialism through the lens of young Chinese Americans and their different paths to where they are now. The action of the heists would pull attention from thoughtful and emotional text from each of the character's point of views, and the literary style of writing served to make the heist more confusing.

This is an excellent debut novel about a group of friends in their early 20s, anti-imperialism, the nuances surrounding the Chinese American experience, and some art heists!

There's a lot packed into this novel, and it's overall a quick read that has the perfect level of nostalgia for one's early 20s, a lyrical prose that perfectly paints the aesthetic, and characters that each feel distinct in their own experiences and perspectives.

I definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for an engaging contemporary fiction read, someone who enjoys heists and art history, a new adult experience of grappling with shifting futures, or all of the above!

A big thank you to Penguin Group Dutton and Netgalley for providing me an eARC in exchange of an honest review!

This book feels like someone shoved their hand under my ribcage and ripped my soul out of my chest.

I really truly don't think I've read a book so deeply interconnected to who I am in a while. There were so many beautiful moments where I felt like I was staring into my soul in her words. The writing was absolutely beautiful, and the characters were lovingly drawn out. While the heist is important, the dynamics between the characters and the themes of culture, diaspora, and family really steal (hehe) the focus in this book.

Absolutely brilliant. There were so many times where something was revealed and I just gasped at how perfectly constructed everything was. It's so easy to make a heist underwhelming, but when everything comes together like it does here, it's magical. I wanted a movie from the first chapter, and finding out that this is being adapted into a Netflix TV show made my day.

While the heists are very exciting and definitely the book's hook, it's also so much more than that. It's really an exploration of identity in diaspora and everything that comes along with that. We have five POV characters, and their different experiences add so much to the story. The whole book is so perfectly balanced between being plot-driven and character-driven.

CW: past parental death (illness), hospitalization

the heist plot could have been executed better and the characters didn't really have any defining personality traits...... nor did they seem to really like each other. aside from that, the writing was beautiful and very atmospheric. that was definitely my favourite part of the book.

Portrait of a Thief was a beautifully written book that highlighted the devastating effects of colonialism on the art world. I thought the characterizations were strong - particularly Lily, Daniel, and Alex. Each character had a strong narrative arc and voice, and even though each character was experiencing similar emotions at being Chinese American, each was distinct and poignant. I found the reflections on the diaspora to be the strongest part of this novel. Li writes with such grace and care. I really felt as though her characters were REAL.

The heists, while taking a back seat to the characters' growth, were a fun idea if not entirely well-executed. I loved this as motivation for the characters. Some of the planning felt a bit silly and ridiculous, like using Google Docs to plan a highly illegal heist and video chatting weekly to discuss progress.

The biggest issue here was pacing. About 30% of the book passed before there was a heist, and then the heist itself was over in one chapter. The author lingered in internal dialogue and raced through any action. This led to what felt like a long, slow read. While not necessarily a bad thing, I think with a book being marketed as "Ocean's Eleven meets The Farewell" I expected more Ocean's Eleven than what was present.

Additionally, the end of the book felt too rushed. The payoff therefore felt a little unsatisfying.

And, on a small note: at the start of each paragraph, the author uses the character's full name. (For example, "Daniel Chen was thinking... Daniel Chen had never... Daniel Chen had always felt...) I am not sure if this is intentional. Each paragraph therefore felt like it was introducing a new character rather than resuming the story with one we already knew. I am not sure the use of last names is necessary when the chapter headings already tell us which character will be narrating.

Ultimately, however, I found this to be a lovely read that makes the reader think about art and culture and what it means to belong to multiple places while feeling as though you belong to neither. The reflections on the Chinese diaspora were powerful and heart-wrenching. I found this to be a beautiful homage to those who have immigrated to a new place.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

The characters are well written, as are their relationships. I cared about the characters, and they had good development throughout the novel. The pacing is good, and the plot is interesting and unique.

This book was so smart and so much fun. Plenty of character development and cultural/historical background to give it some weight. I'd love to see a sequel and hoping there'll be a movie adaptation.