#Portrait of a Thief

[hvrrycameron]

who could determine what counted as theft when museums and countries and civilisations saw the spoils of conquest as rightfully earned?

— PORTRAIT OF A THIEF by grace d. li

#portrait of a thief #poatedit #poat #grace d. lie #**mine #litedit #booknet

[greaseonmymouth]

do you like THIEVES? are you a hardcore Leverage fan? somebody who watches Ocean's 11 - or Ocean's 8 - and think 'wish that were me'? do you want to eat Neal Caffrey up with a spoon? do you think the British Museum should give back all their stolen art?

boy, do I have the book for you!

PORTRAIT OF A THIEF by GRACE D. LI

This was how things began: Boston on the cusp of fall, the Sackler Museum robbed of 23 pieces of priceless Chinese art. Even in this back room, dust catching the slant of golden, late-afternoon light, Will could hear the sirens. They sounded like a promise.

Will Chen, a Chinese American art history student at Harvard, has spent most of his life learning about the West - its art, its culture, all that it has taken and called its own. He believes art belongs with its creators, so when a Chinese corporation offers him a (highly illegal) chance to reclaim five priceless sculptures, it's surprisingly easy to say yes.

Will's crew, fellow students chosen out of his boundless optimism for their skills and loyalty, aren't exactly experienced criminals. Irene is a public policy major at Duke who can talk her way out of anything; Daniel is pre-med with steady hands and dreams of being a surgeon. Lily is an engineering student who races cars in her spare time; and Will is relying on Alex, an MIT dropout turned software engineer, to hack her way in and out of each museum they must rob.

Each student has their own complicated relationship with China and the identities they've cultivated as Chinese Americans, but one thing soon becomes certain: they won't say no.

Because if they succeed? They earn an unfathomable ten million each, and a chance to make history. If they fail, they lose everything...and the West wins again.

WHAT YOU GET

pretentious af college students (mostly Will) who think they can get whatever they want (mostly Irene (but also Will))

STREET RACES. do you like Fast & Furious? good

complicated feelings about everything but especially, like, lesbians having complicated feelings about other lesbians who then fall in love (Irene and Alex)

FOUND FAMILY. the real treasure is the friendships we made along the way, and like, maybe also the relationships we repaired along the way

healing through stealing (Daniel (and Lily (and Alex (and Daniel's dad and Will and Irene and—))))

ART

discussions of identity, colonialism (and colonised art), art repatriation, the immigrant experience, class,

THEFT. so much theft. THIEVES BEING THIEVES.

immovable object ("girls have broken themselves trying to change him"!boy by which I mean Will because of course it's Will) meets unstoppable force (Lily)

did I say healing? I think I meant stealing. no healing. no stealing. no—

anyway everyone should read this book

#portrait of a thief #leverage #ocean's 11 #ocean's 8 #white collar #THIEVES

[ofliterarynature]

tbr of doom update • January 2024

Read:

Call Down the Hawk

Mister Impossible

All the Hidden Paths

Portrait of a Thief DNF

Unhauling:

Red Rising

Golden Son

Portrait of a Thief

Truthwitch

#bec posts #book log #books #booklr #book photography #dreamer trilogy #call down the Hawk #Maggie stiefvater #all the hidden paths #portrait of a thief #I did also read Greywaren I just don’t own it lmao #so it’s not included in the count #all the hidden paths is on the fence for keeping tbh #I think I’ll like if more if I reread it though #anything being unhauled is up for grabs btw message me! #I promise I’m cheap #from instagram

[cosettepontmercys]

tea time reads book club august pick → portrait of a thief by grace d. li

they had all come here for different reasons. they had all chosen to stay. he had spent so many years thinking that nothing good could ever last, but—maybe this could. his crew was here, had chosen this and him and a future that felt out of a dream.

#portrait of a thief #litedit #storyseekers #booksocietyedit #litofcoloredit #asianlitedit #usercaitlyn #usermansi #userjamie #userbie #usersaima #usersemily #tusernoah #adultlitedit #bookedit #post: mine #mine: edit #post: literature #lit: portrait of a thief #i loved this book the first time i read it and i love it now still and i am so excited 2 share my lil annotations on my booksta #anyways here is a mediocre edit while i try to remember how to edit again

[ijustkindalikebooks]

To tab or not to tab that is the question.

#booklr #books #bookblr #fiction #book #portrait of a thief #grace d li #finally this book is off my tbr #great book

[limbosava]

number 27 🫶🫶

No.27 All Of The Girls You Loved Before —> Irene and Alex ✨✨

#my art #irene chen #alex huang #portrait of a thief #ask game

[claireelizabethsblog]

~May's Books Reviewed~

May saw some highs and lows in my enjoyment of books! I largely was still making my way through some old books I hadn't had the opportunity to read, but I also read a couple of newer ones. I was also on holiday for a week in May which meant that I had a couple of easier books thrown into the mix too. All in all, I've been enjoying my reading, especially as the weather has been nice and I'm able to read outside more!

Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li

(369 pages)

I actually started this book at the end of April, but I finished it at the start of May so in this post it goes! I really really enjoyed this book! I picked it up at the book shop because I have an unapologetic love for heist films, but had never actually read a proper heist book that I could think of. This fulfilled everything u wanted it to be as a heist book though. It was light and fun and a fairly easy read. It completely held my attention and remained believable (bizarrely!) while being compelling. It brought about the same feelings of investment and fun that I get while watching heist films and I would highly recommend it to people.

I gave this book 4.5 stars ⭐⭐️⭐️⭐️🌗

The MouseTrap (70th anniversary edition) by Agatha Christie (arranged and introduced by Sophie Hannah)

(245 pages)

This is a bit of an odd one to include, however I saw the play (finally!) and absolutely loved it so felt I had to locate the book now that I was part of the secret! Obviously seeing it was indescribably better, however it is still a fun story and I enjoyed all the behind the scenes bits and history that this book went in to. I cannot recommend going to see the play enough and would in fact not recommend reading this until after you already know the story so that you can enjoy the plot twists and mystery in real time with the rest of the audience.

I gave this book 3.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️🌗 (but as a play it was 5!)

The Book of Dust by Philip Pullman

(546 pages - this was a hardback)

I had owned this book for several years, having got it when it first came out with every intention of reading it, only to never get around to it! I loved the His Dark Materials trilogy when I was younger which is why I was really wanting to read another book from the same universe. That being said, while I enjoyed this book, it did not quite live up to the original trilogy (at least not in my memory). This was probably mostly due to a lack of nostalgia and attachment to the characters considering it is set like a prequel to the original books. The world and the writing remains incredible so I would highly recommend all Philip Pullman books, including this one to anyone who is perhaps a younger reader and wanting to get into a good fantasy world.

I gave this book 3.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️🌗

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John LeCarré

(367 pages)

So I read this primarily for its reputation as this incredible espionage book.... I have to admit, I do not get the hype. I honestly could not tell you anything that happened in this book, it kept my interest that little that I have already forgotten genuinely everything. I found that there were too many characters and the plot and language was long winded, meandering and unnecessarily complex. It's supposedly a classic, but unfortunately I'm still not sure what I even actually read. I therefore did not exactly enjoy it. It's definitely not the worst book I've ever read, but I doubt I'll find myself reaching for any more LeCarré.

I gave this book 2 stars ⭐️⭐️

The Help by Kathryn Stochett

(451 pages)

Very different from the other books that I rated this highly, but no less enjoyable. It took me a surprisingly long time to read for the number of pages it is, but this was in no correlation to the writing, which was simple and effective, but rather down to the content I think. The book deals with a lot of heavy themes around racism in particular, especially as it aims to by historically accurate and so it would have felt disrespectful almost to have read it much quicker. The writing and story were addictive and despite the heavy themes, I genuinely enjoyed reading this book and at no point felt weighed down by the responsibility of it. I would really recommend this book.

I gave this book 4.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌗

Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty

(434 pages)

This was the start of my holiday reading and it was indeed a total "airport book", ironically enough about an airport book author! I did strangely enjoy this book and was definitely desperate to finish it and find out what was going on the whole time. Although, that being said, the ending was a little anticlimactic and sudden in my opinion which did drag the rating down a little. I would also say that there does need to be a bit of a content warning here for eating disorders and very casual references and descriptions of them at that. It is set at a wellness retreat so a lot of the characters internal monologue does end up focusing a fair amount on body image and dieting.

I gave this book 3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

(461 pages)

The second of my holiday books! I mean.... it's been read before, and it holds up as being exactly what it says on the tin - a classic teen coming of age book that while horribly cringy at points is still generally enjoyable. I loved this book when I first read it (almost 10 years ago!!) and I still loved it this time through, even if it was no longer quite as relatable! I have not much else to say about this one other than I would recommend it, but know that this is not the highbrow literature but simply fun and light and easy.

I gave this book 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Icebreaker by R.L. Graziadei

(314 pages)

The last of my holiday reads. My kindle recommended this one to me based off other books I have read I suppose and I have to admit that unfortunately I was a little disappointed, especially by the end.it felt like it was just beginning to pick up and get interesting, only for all the resolutions etc to happen and feel kinda rushed and kinda unrealistically unsatisfactory. That being said, it was still a mindless holiday read and I really did enjoy the representation, both of multiple sexualities and relationship types; and more so perhaps of various mental health struggles.

I gave this book 3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

(382 pages)

I really really enjoyed this book, was definitely a high to finish the month on! I found it highly engaging as I was so desperate to find out what had happened through out. The protagonist/speaker was incredibly unique and well written, with her trauma and experiences clearly affecting her thought patterns. This made it really interesting and cool to be reading from such a clearly unreliable narrators perspective, but also to watch with front row view as she herself slowly unpacks what has happened to her and come to terms with what other people see and how she could be living her life. The ending was perhaps a tiny bit too abrupt for my liking, but I really would recommend this book to people.

I gave this book 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#book review #book reccs #claireelizabethsblog #Grace D. Li #portrait of a thief #agatha christie #the mousetrap #philip pullman #the book of dust #john le carré #tinker tailor soldier spy #kathryn stockett #the help #liane moriarty #nine perfect strangers #rainbow rowell #fangirl #R.L. Graziadei #icebreaker #gail honeyman #eleanor oliphant is completely fine

[living400lbs]

Her parents had lived through the Cultural Revolution, had come to America looking to start anew. Their parents—her grandparents—had died before she was born, to famine or persecution or any of the countless tragedies that happened in a country in upheaval. Without family in China, with all their friends lost to time—Lily had never needed to ask her parents about why they hadn’t taught her Chinese, why there were no summer trips to unknown provinces. Twenty years, and she was used to being asked where she was from, to giving an answer that felt like a lie. She could never be Chinese enough for China. She could never be American enough for here.

From Portrait Of A Thief by Grace D. Li

#immigration #portrait of a thief #grace d li

[emily-prentits]

delicious parallels

#i hate you quotes on two separate pages #you don't get quite the same effect as in the book but WHATEVER #portrait of a thief #poat #irene chen #alex huang #olivia rodrigo #thea talks

[callixton]

almost definitely not where this book is going but i am taking aromantic will chen who’s always felt like he can’t love the way other people do and has to prove himself instead and holding him very close to my heart.

#every character i like who’s a ‘player’ is actually aroallo so sorry to break it to you this way </3 #this is a very fun read so far i hope it continues #portrait of a thief #ted talks

[fatenumberfor]

#portrait of a thief #cry...

[might-be-feathers]

“I’ll have you exactly as you are”

Not to be a homosexual but literally this line got me blushing in the library

#portrait of a thief #phew #the fact that she hasnt caught on to Irene being gay as hell is a crime tho

[bookwyrrm]

I read 5 predicted 5-star reads. Here’s how they turned out!

#1. The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo

This was a good introduction to the world that these novellas are set in. The characters did not grab me as much as I would have liked - I do wonder if the choice to write this story as a novella rather than a full novel was a disservice to the ideas of political intrigue and devotion that Vo was interested in. However, I then went on to read (well, listen to) the second book in this series and LOVED it, so I’ll definitely be picking up the third one too!

#2. Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li

Honestly, Portrait of a Thief was disappointing. I feel like this review by Cindy Pham sums up many of the thoughts I also had while reading in a more concise way than I could, lol.

#3. Babel by R. F. Kuang

Babel is just as good as everyone says it is. Holy shit. The first half of the book is reaaaalllly slow, but after having finished the whole thing, I do think that level of minute detail / forcing readers to live in Robin’s head for so long worked to emphasize the ending.

#4. Fangs by Sarah Andersen

Just adorable. I think more of a connected storyline would have put this book over the top for me into something that I loved rather than something that I really liked. However, this was the perfect thing to pick up after Babel because it was short and sweet.

#5. In the Vanishers’ Palace by Aliette de Bodard

This book was so fun. The world building was interesting, I loved Vu Côn‘s relationship with her kids, and the theme of nature vs. nurture throughout was one was touching + handled well, in my opinion. As a result of all these other things going on, the romantic relationship in the book does suffer a little bit, simply because there isn’t enough space to develop it very much.

Final Notes: I got the idea for this 5 books project from Chandler Ainsley on Youtube. It was a fun way to break up the huge TBR list I’ve been working off of and identify some books that I was excited about.

#'why are so many of these fantasy by asian writers?' you ask #no clue! i know that i had seen a big list of books / added a bunch of them to my tbr at some point #but also it's just what i've been vibing with lately! #i did not actually end up giving any of these books 5 stars but i think that's bc i was thinking too hard lol #random tags sorry #book reviews #books #nghi vo #grace d. li #rf kuang #sarah andersen #aliette de bodard #singing hills cycle #the empress of salt and fortune #portrait of a thief #babel kuang #babel an arcane history #fangs andersen #in the vanishers' palace #withcindy

[susiephone]

i just finished “portrait of a thief” and holy shit. i think it’s one of my all time favorite books.

#portrait of a thief #booklr #bookish

[regardstosoulandromance]

matcha + current read

#aesthetic #bookish aesthetic #portrait of a thief #matcha #mine

[limbosava]

the couple of all time

#my art #alex huang #irene chen #portrait of a thief #this all started with UC Berkeley personified. don’t ask how. but if you really must ask Everest