Portrait of a Thief
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- Create Date：2022-04-29 06:52:49
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Grace D. Li
- ISBN：0593184734
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Summary
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 who has always been his parents’ American Dream。 But when a mysterious Chinese benefactor 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 con artist: Irene Chen， 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 major 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。
Equal parts beautiful， thoughtful， and thrilling， Portrait of a Thief is a cultural heist and an examination of Chinese American identity， as well as a necessary critique of the lingering effects of colonialism。
Ocean’s Eleven meets The Farewell in Portrait of a Thief， a lush， lyrical heist novel inspired by the true story of Chinese art vanishing from Western museums; about diaspora， the colonization of art， and the complexity of the Chinese American identity。
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 who has always been his parents’ American Dream。 But when a mysterious Chinese benefactor 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 con artist: Irene Chen， 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 major 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。
Equal parts beautiful， thoughtful， and thrilling， Portrait of a Thief is a cultural heist and an examination of Chinese American identity， as well as a necessary critique of the lingering effects of colonialism。
Ocean’s Eleven meets The Farewell in Portrait of a Thief， a lush， lyrical heist novel inspired by the true story of Chinese art vanishing from Western museums; about diaspora， the colonization of art， and the complexity of the Chinese American identity。
Reviews
Pete Wislander
，
It was just "ok" for me。 Felt like there was a lot filler and I had trouble identifying with a lot of the scene and character depictions。 The ending was somewhat clever。 It was just "ok" for me。 Felt like there was a lot filler and I had trouble identifying with a lot of the scene and character depictions。 The ending was somewhat clever。 。。。more
jordan
，
4。5 - i really really enjoyed this。 i already love heist stories but the way this was centered around reclaiming what was conquered by western civilization was so unique
thuyvi
，
honestly just so refreshing reading more asian stories。 not an all time fav just because im a romance girly at heart but truly an amazing debut
Femke
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 If this was marketed in a different way， I probably would have given it a higher rating。 But I was promised a heist story and this was not a heist story。 I mean where were the stakes？ Because I couldn’t find them。 🤷🏻 They prepared their big heist of robbing five museums around the world by watching movies， but since one of the main characters’ father is an FBI agent and doesn’t care that his son just robbed a museum， they clearly didn’t need to worry about getting caught。 There was no police， no If this was marketed in a different way， I probably would have given it a higher rating。 But I was promised a heist story and this was not a heist story。 I mean where were the stakes？ Because I couldn’t find them。 🤷🏻 They prepared their big heist of robbing five museums around the world by watching movies， but since one of the main characters’ father is an FBI agent and doesn’t care that his son just robbed a museum， they clearly didn’t need to worry about getting caught。 There was no police， no consequences， no investigation， no news… they literally walked out and got a college degree and lived happily ever after。 Everything went smoothly and there wasn’t a moment of tension。 And it was all so random。 🙄It felt more like a dark academia story with the focus on the characters but at the same time I found the friendship between them too unbelievable to care about them。 And lastly， there was SO MUCH repetition！ 🫠 。。。more
Veronica Marshall
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I have mixed feelings on this book it started out as a five and worked its way down to a three I guess I would have put 3。5。The concept is amazing the idea to be hired to steal back what was wrongfully stolen by colonists。 Or as some would say bought stolen。 Some college kids about too graduate or soon to graduate are hired to steal back some heads from the famed summer palace in China。 Perfect right also whats amazing is it rotates around an art history major。 College life personal life cultura I have mixed feelings on this book it started out as a five and worked its way down to a three I guess I would have put 3。5。The concept is amazing the idea to be hired to steal back what was wrongfully stolen by colonists。 Or as some would say bought stolen。 Some college kids about too graduate or soon to graduate are hired to steal back some heads from the famed summer palace in China。 Perfect right also whats amazing is it rotates around an art history major。 College life personal life cultural identity of being Chinese or Chinese American I love it。 Even though its five different points of view which change per chapter and you don't really realize it but that's okay。 Then half way through what changed for me is the whole personal life scenario switched to pre pandemic life versus now。 College through zoom talking about all that for two years。 It threw me off a lot then the visuals didn't make sense the life didn't make sense and the inter connections didn't make sense。 I felt the momentum of everyones connection was gone。I was recommended this through bookshop and of course its all over book riot。 Plus the ending was very confusing about their futures。 。。。more
helen❣️
，
diaspora vibes were a lil too much 😭
Ashley Hart
，
The pacing of this book was well done and a lot of fun to read。 I enjoyed the story and the characters were well developed。 The anti-colonial art heist plot was engaging and the different POV were amazing。 Just enjoy the ride and go with it。 Suspension of disbelief is necessary。 My ONLY concern。。。why does the author think Galveston is a small， judgemental town？ It's not that small。 And it's a pretty supportive community？ Minor thing but most people only go to the beach when they visit and think The pacing of this book was well done and a lot of fun to read。 I enjoyed the story and the characters were well developed。 The anti-colonial art heist plot was engaging and the different POV were amazing。 Just enjoy the ride and go with it。 Suspension of disbelief is necessary。 My ONLY concern。。。why does the author think Galveston is a small， judgemental town？ It's not that small。 And it's a pretty supportive community？ Minor thing but most people only go to the beach when they visit and think that the Seawall is the true Galveston。（this is honestly a dumb thing to fixate on）。 I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley。 The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own。 。。。more
laluna
，
hits too close to home。 im still recovering
ribs
，
It's been long time since i really looked foward to a book and hyped it。 When i did it or i was just not up to my expactations or i just never read it。That being said， this is the only book i was really looking foward to read this year （one of the best covers i see in years）， so i don't know if the problem was the not being up there with the expectations， but i feel it that the plot never really moved forward。 And i can't be that mad， Grace's writing is amazing and fluid and the idea is there bu It's been long time since i really looked foward to a book and hyped it。 When i did it or i was just not up to my expactations or i just never read it。That being said， this is the only book i was really looking foward to read this year （one of the best covers i see in years）， so i don't know if the problem was the not being up there with the expectations， but i feel it that the plot never really moved forward。 And i can't be that mad， Grace's writing is amazing and fluid and the idea is there but never really evolves， instead we get chapters and chapter of the characters going and going through the same internal struggles。I wished the heists were more focused and took more time in the chapters， but the final one （the one that makes me give this book a 4* rating） was really a plot twist i wasn't expecting and i was glad to receive。Overall as i said it's a nice book， an amzing debut， the ideas are there but they never really evolve， but it was a enjoyable reading 。。。more
Jen
，
A book that manages to be twisty and quietly character focused at the same time。 I enjoyed getting to know these characters and I genuinely didn't see the twists coming， despite being someone obsessed with art crime lit。 A book that manages to be twisty and quietly character focused at the same time。 I enjoyed getting to know these characters and I genuinely didn't see the twists coming， despite being someone obsessed with art crime lit。 。。。more
Sophia
，
disappointing。 this book was not what i was expecting。 -the heist storyline is the backdrop for a character study， not the main focus of the book。 -The logic of the heist makes no sense。 I don't get why these college students were chosen。 If they were adult professionals/experts in specific fields it would make sense。 Also they do their planning on google docs and over zoom and somehow aren't caught？？？ i get we have to suspend disbelief but there was a little too mus suspending necessary。 -chara disappointing。 this book was not what i was expecting。 -the heist storyline is the backdrop for a character study， not the main focus of the book。 -The logic of the heist makes no sense。 I don't get why these college students were chosen。 If they were adult professionals/experts in specific fields it would make sense。 Also they do their planning on google docs and over zoom and somehow aren't caught？？？ i get we have to suspend disbelief but there was a little too mus suspending necessary。 -characters fell flat。 Li did some good analysis of the immigrant experience and what it means to be part of a diaspora， each character has a different experience and i appreciated that。 however， we don't get enough time with each character and they feel one-dimensional-one of the most overwritten books i've read in a while。 an editor was sorely needed to help trim down the prose。-i will say it was fast paced and fun， but unfortunately the flaws kept me from enjoying it as much as i would have liked。 。。。more
Vickie
，
As the book cover says， "History is told by the conquerors。" Portrait of a Thief by Grace D。 Li is a thought provoking caper novel at its best。 5 Chinese-American students are tapped to steal back priceless statues once taken from a noted Chinese palace in the name of colonialism and greed。 Told in rotating chapters by the five characters， Portrait of a Thief almost reads like a diary entry at times each of the five thieves have different reasons for agreeing to these heists。 Caught in between t As the book cover says， "History is told by the conquerors。" Portrait of a Thief by Grace D。 Li is a thought provoking caper novel at its best。 5 Chinese-American students are tapped to steal back priceless statues once taken from a noted Chinese palace in the name of colonialism and greed。 Told in rotating chapters by the five characters， Portrait of a Thief almost reads like a diary entry at times each of the five thieves have different reasons for agreeing to these heists。 Caught in between the feeling of being a twenty-something invincible being and full fledge adulthood with jobs and a plan for the future， each of the characters echo the same hesitations， making the narrative very repetitive at times。 。。。more
JasperKota
，
Pretty good light read。 I'm not a very strict reviewer when it comes to books， there are many things to nitpick at in this one but if even a few things make me feelsy then I kind of forget about the iffy parts。 Overall， I enjoyed it so I'd say 3。5/5。 If you came here for a heist book， this was not it。 I had to suspend my disbelief for a lot of the heist focused moments and sneaking things through luggage etc。 etc。 just -- there were moments I had to put the book down and laugh at how implausible Pretty good light read。 I'm not a very strict reviewer when it comes to books， there are many things to nitpick at in this one but if even a few things make me feelsy then I kind of forget about the iffy parts。 Overall， I enjoyed it so I'd say 3。5/5。 If you came here for a heist book， this was not it。 I had to suspend my disbelief for a lot of the heist focused moments and sneaking things through luggage etc。 etc。 just -- there were moments I had to put the book down and laugh at how implausible it all was。 And then let it go and keep reading。 In terms of the romance parts， I felt a lot a lot of it was quite cheesy and honestly a big cringy but I'm also currently not in the romcom phase that I cycle in and out of， if I were I probably would have loved it。 But despite its flaws， it got a lot of things right。 The father-son dynamic between Daniel and his Dad got me a teary and in general the Asian American experience and the complicated feelings that come with it resonated with me。 Each of the characters show a bit into the different lenses of the ABC experience。 The love-hate but mostly love relationship between Will and Irene I felt like I could really relate to， and I appreciated the Chinese idioms sprinkled throughout。 Oh and all the Duke references were great， I'm looking forward to Grace Li's next book！ *minor spoilers*Favorite part was when Daniel's dad said 我爱你， and for the first time Daniel texted back 爱你。 and all his dad sent back was a smiley face emoji。 I laughed out loud。 。。。more
Peyton
，
I never thought a heist book would become one of my favorite reads of the year but there I was， screaming at every single chapter， dreaming about this book。 A cast full of Asian American characters stealing back stolen Chinese art from western art museums？？？ Sapphic yearning？ Enemies to lovers？？？ A thieving son with an FBI agent as a dad？？？ It just keeps getting better and better and better。 And not only is this just a great story on its own， but it’s far better than any action packed oceans ele I never thought a heist book would become one of my favorite reads of the year but there I was， screaming at every single chapter， dreaming about this book。 A cast full of Asian American characters stealing back stolen Chinese art from western art museums？？？ Sapphic yearning？ Enemies to lovers？？？ A thieving son with an FBI agent as a dad？？？ It just keeps getting better and better and better。 And not only is this just a great story on its own， but it’s far better than any action packed oceans eleven type heist movie。 Portrait of a Thief has everything those stories are missing。 The only criticism I have is that for a heist book， the actual heist scenes seemed a little too easy， but I felt like there was still plenty of action and the story focused on the characters and their relationships more than anything。 No matter what I still feel that Grace D。 Li literally couldn’t have written a better book。 。。。more
Olivia
，
I was really excited about this because I heard it was inspired by the movie Ocean's Eleven， but I can't say it lived up to my expectations。 I don't know why， but as much as I loved the story， it took me a while to get through it， which doesn't usually happen。 It's not that it was slow， I just wasn't that invested in it。 That said， the characters definitely grew on me， even the one that originally made my blood boil， and there were quite a few aspects that I really enjoyed！ I was really excited about this because I heard it was inspired by the movie Ocean's Eleven， but I can't say it lived up to my expectations。 I don't know why， but as much as I loved the story， it took me a while to get through it， which doesn't usually happen。 It's not that it was slow， I just wasn't that invested in it。 That said， the characters definitely grew on me， even the one that originally made my blood boil， and there were quite a few aspects that I really enjoyed！ 。。。more
Jennifer
，
Portrait of a Thief tells the story of 5 Chinese-American students coming together to pull off heists in order to return stolen Chinese pieces of art to their homeland。 If they can break into highly secure museums and obtain 5 select zodiac pieces they will receive $50 million dollars from a Chinese corporate benefactor。 If they get caught， the get nothing but a criminal record to call their own。 The cover and title gave me "this is going to be a fun caper story" expectations due in part to the Portrait of a Thief tells the story of 5 Chinese-American students coming together to pull off heists in order to return stolen Chinese pieces of art to their homeland。 If they can break into highly secure museums and obtain 5 select zodiac pieces they will receive $50 million dollars from a Chinese corporate benefactor。 If they get caught， the get nothing but a criminal record to call their own。 The cover and title gave me "this is going to be a fun caper story" expectations due in part to the blurb referencing Ocean's Eleven。 The execution of the story did not live up to my personal expectations。 The five main characters were not professional thieves。 After spending a month or so researching the best way to break into the museums and to get away， I didn't really believe in their ability to pull off the heists around the world。 The heists themselves sort of took a back seat a lot of the time to Li's exploration of modern day museums history of colonialism， the repatriation of art， the life of Chinese-American diaspora kids and their identity struggles。At times it was repetitive， but overall it was an entertaining enough to keep me interested and I did read it over the course of a single day。 My rating is three stars meaning "I liked it fine， but others may enjoy it more than me。" 。。。more
Lucy
，
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC。I really enjoyed this - it was a complete romp， but also placed the heist storyline in the contemporary context of the history of art and colonialism。 There were some instances where this point felt a little belaboured and heavy-handed， but mostly the narrative flowed along well。 I liked the variety of diaspora characters and the fact that the plot wasn't completely predictable。 An interesting take on the heist genre。 Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC。I really enjoyed this - it was a complete romp， but also placed the heist storyline in the contemporary context of the history of art and colonialism。 There were some instances where this point felt a little belaboured and heavy-handed， but mostly the narrative flowed along well。 I liked the variety of diaspora characters and the fact that the plot wasn't completely predictable。 An interesting take on the heist genre。 。。。more
Joanna
，
I do love a heist story。 This one， however， is so much more: an exploration into identity， what it means to be a young person leaving college， the experience of diaspora， immigrant heritage， and an unflinching look at the West's problematic history of colonized art stolen from across the world。 Great characters & a beautiful writing style underpin a mesmerizing plot。 Bravo to the author！ I do love a heist story。 This one， however， is so much more: an exploration into identity， what it means to be a young person leaving college， the experience of diaspora， immigrant heritage， and an unflinching look at the West's problematic history of colonized art stolen from across the world。 Great characters & a beautiful writing style underpin a mesmerizing plot。 Bravo to the author！ 。。。more
Kimberly
，
Thoughts:This was， overall， a fun read。 The assemblage of the heist crew， the thoughts of the characters on the Chinese diaspora， the focus on art were all positives。 There were some major flaws in the book， probably because this is a first novel， that detract from the story。 The crew is a group of college juniors and seniors。 As such， none of them are professional thieves/hackers/con artists/getaway drivers， etc。， yet， they have been hired by a Chinese organization to "retrieve" five pieces of Thoughts:This was， overall， a fun read。 The assemblage of the heist crew， the thoughts of the characters on the Chinese diaspora， the focus on art were all positives。 There were some major flaws in the book， probably because this is a first novel， that detract from the story。 The crew is a group of college juniors and seniors。 As such， none of them are professional thieves/hackers/con artists/getaway drivers， etc。， yet， they have been hired by a Chinese organization to "retrieve" five pieces of looted/stolen Chinese art that have great historical and cultural value。 These kids are being tasked with breaking into/out of five of the world's top museums。 And they're mostly convinced， in the way of young people， that they can get in and out without being caught。 My problem is the level of ineptitude， not surprising really， considering none of them are professionals， that they all display at one time or another。 They create a Google Doc for their planning。 They meet on Zoom and WhatsApp。 They stash the stolen goods in their carry-on luggage。 They fly literally all over the world （Beijing， Stockholm， Paris， New York， California） and think that no one will notice that they're gone every weekend。Also， I got the sense that these college students， who were lost and searching for direction and meaning in their lives， felt that they were the only young adults in the world to feel so unmoored。 Like， guys， every college student is scared that they're not going in the direction they should。 It's normal to be anxious about graduating and getting a job/going to med school/etc。 The diaspora magnified those feelings for this group， but really， it was hard for me， as someone who's been out of college for 18 years， living my life， making decisions， and doing just fine， to relate to the angst the characters felt。 Oh， you're 21 and worried that you haven't had a romantic relationship that will last for all eternity？ Get a grip， you're 21。Again， I enjoyed the book as a whole， even with the eye-roll moments。 。。。more
Jewel
，
Actual rating: 3。5 starsEven though I did not love this novel， I liked the dreamy and melancholic vibes of the storytelling， which made the Chinese diaspora characters more realistic。As for the heist， it wasn’t as clever and thrilling as I wanted。 The only thing I loved about it was the plot twist。
Eeva
，
Was gonna be 3*， but， sure， 4* for the fanciful and emotional end。 4* for the characters， for the conversations about imperialism， colonialism， and art。 4* for how deeply personal this felt。 2* for the heists I’m sorry they were just not good。 But the rest wins out because I think that， in the end， it wasn’t the point。
yce ♡
，
One does not have to be a heist fan to know this book did not deliver in any aspect of how a heist concept should be。 And no， I did not finish the whole thing， so， how dare I say that statement？ Well， I purposely spoiled myself because I couldn't care less anymore about how these five 20-sumn y。o。 college students would trip on their own stupidity by planning a heist through zoom meetings and google docs （which apparently will be forgotten along the way）。To start， PoaT is just an ambitious （debu One does not have to be a heist fan to know this book did not deliver in any aspect of how a heist concept should be。 And no， I did not finish the whole thing， so， how dare I say that statement？ Well， I purposely spoiled myself because I couldn't care less anymore about how these five 20-sumn y。o。 college students would trip on their own stupidity by planning a heist through zoom meetings and google docs （which apparently will be forgotten along the way）。To start， PoaT is just an ambitious （debut） novel with concepts， as alluring as it sound， that aren't a good mix because it wanted to accomplish many things at once， but hardly achieved anything as resulted by the poor， unbalanced execution。 And please， how is it not a crime for a book to have such an enticing synopsis when the product itself falls flat in meeting the every expectation ensued by the known anticipation due to the summary alone？ This is why I have such high trust issue lolEither way， let me walk you through the things that pushed me to the hole of disappointment even if this one of my anticipated reads of 2022。 Point 1 - Characters。 There's literally no one I could root （well， maybe Daniel or Lily in the beginning but， turns out they're meh too） for in this crew; all of them are one dimensional with no strong background story going on。 Notably， the decision making process as to whether they are going to be in/out with the heist， mind you their futures were on the line， was so inconsistent I was rolling my eyes the whole time。 One moment they're being so reluctant into giving in （side eyeing Daniel and Irene）， the next time they're like "Oh， but it's what Will fancy atm and he has to get everything he wants， right？"。 That's their rationale， yes， you read it perfectly。 Also， can we collectively agree that the Chen siblings should go to hell？ Because， honestly they're nothing but， pretentious， conceited， and manipulative。 Will is selfish with fake patriotism for sake of making history recognition， while， Irene is just ioran entitled brat hiding behind her "perfect" image to which "no one can resist" or "say no to"。Exhibit A "Will thought of the evening before， how close Daniel had been to walking away。 And yet—he was here。 They all were。 It had to mean something。" Yeah， because your sister did not exactly tell him what was going on before flying to Beijing。 He had no clue you'd coerce him into joining your stupid plans on a whim。Exhibit B "Irene looked at Alex， took in the sweep of her hair， the sharp line of her jaw。 Her brother had asked Alex on this heist as if it were a date， hadn't even told Irene how he knew her。 A hacker， he'd called her。 Irene wondered if he'd known， even then， that it was a lie。 If this does not look like peak entitled behavior， then I don't know what is lol Point 2 - Point of views。 The multiple POV from the casts had no distinguishing factor or whatsoever。 It's one thing to like how each of the character had at least something that they could be trying so hard to be poetic about， but if a sentiment is consecutively recycled， that's where it all gets ruined。 I get that building contrast with the characters is tough， but it's where all the dynamic comes from。 Li should have ventured into crafting more complex characters rather than repeating the same thought over and over again。 After all， it's their job to make the story more cohesive。Lastly， Point 3 - Setting and pacing。 For someone who values engagement with the book a lot， this one was difficult to get through。 When I said difficult， it really was。 I could read a chapter or two today， but all of those gets washed out the moment I stop reading。 Sometimes I even confused myself trying to remember which timeline I was supposed to be reading。 It was so slow。 But that's not all。 The illuminating something/staring at the window game the really the cherry on top。 Literally EVERY DAMN CHAPTER has either one of those。 I kid u not。 As if describing the atmosphere like that from time to time will make the characters more poignant and depressed。 I DNF'ed this @ 28% because further interaction with this book would have resulted into me spiraling into madness。 Teens would probably enjoy this if they are willing to overlook the superficiality and absurdity of everything， but I do not recommend this to adults simply because it's shallow and not fun to read。 。。。more
Bonnie
，
Love the premise of this and the discussion of colonialism， diaspora， and identity。
Tara Scott
，
Snoozefest
mads
，
I so wanted to like this more than I did。
Ellen Levenson
，
I don't blame the author。 I blame the editor。 The concept is interesting but this writing is repetitive， overly florid， and just in desperate need of editing and a dose of sophistication。 I don't blame the author。 I blame the editor。 The concept is interesting but this writing is repetitive， overly florid， and just in desperate need of editing and a dose of sophistication。 。。。more
Laura Hoffman Brauman
，
3。5 stars。 I really enjoyed this heist novel about a group of college students that are recruited to steal back works of Chinese Art from western museums。 Like most heist novels， it requires you to suspend disbelief （maybe a little more than normal）， but it is worth to go along for the ride。 What stood out about this one was the discussion/exploration of how much of the art found in Western museums was taken from other countries and the impact of colonialism。 I also really appreciated the look a 3。5 stars。 I really enjoyed this heist novel about a group of college students that are recruited to steal back works of Chinese Art from western museums。 Like most heist novels， it requires you to suspend disbelief （maybe a little more than normal）， but it is worth to go along for the ride。 What stood out about this one was the discussion/exploration of how much of the art found in Western museums was taken from other countries and the impact of colonialism。 I also really appreciated the look at identity and the concept of meeting other’s expectations。 Solid read from the heist perspective and with the added elements， it made for a read that gave you something to think about beyond just the action/adventure elements。 。。。more
Em
，
There was Kia Soul slander
Moksha Visanagiri
，
a good heist， a good look into chinese diaspora， found family vibes， what more could i ask for？ a good read， but it could’ve been great。 i wish the author created a better motive for the heists and spent more time showing these heists instead of just telling us about them。
Philip Reari
，
Way too many descriptions of how the sun looked and felt。 I do feel that this would make a better movie than book though。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Portrait of a Thief
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Portrait of a Thief&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Portrait of a Thief&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0