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emma's Reviews > Portrait of a Thief
Portrait of a Thief
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emma's review
bookshelves: authors-of-color, non-ya, mystery-thriller-horror-etc, eh, project-aapi-22, boston, reviewed, unpopular-opinion, 2-and-a-half-stars
Nov 18, 2021
bookshelves: authors-of-color, non-ya, mystery-thriller-horror-etc, eh, project-aapi-22, boston, reviewed, unpopular-opinion, 2-and-a-half-stars
every single thing i heard about this book was "it wasn't what i thought it would be."
and still i'm like...huh. that wasn't what i thought it would be!
i am, like any self-respecting citizen, addicted to heist plot lines. they're the best. i once thought i had feelings for someone because we watched heist movies every time we hung out, and then the heist movies were removed from the equation and there were no feelings whatsoever.
in other words, i feel genuine romantic love for heists.
relatedly, i think most people dislike this book (or felt disappointed by it) because it's not really a heist story, and because the heist(s) there are are very rudimentary and not so fun.
and by most people, i mean me.
so this bait and switch (lol) momentarily upset me, betrayed me, destroyed my trust and love in the universe and those around me, but once i recovered somewhat...
the themes that take up the page count that the heists otherwise would have (if i designed the entire world) were enough for me! the explorations of diaspora and colonization, of cultural and personal identity, were fascinating and well done, imo.
where we have a problem (because this is me, and of course there is a problem) lies elsewhere.
namely, in the flat characters, the suddenly-there romances, and the annoying writing style.
there were so many descriptions teeming with that "she was all thighs and eyelashes," "he was all confidence and cologne," "he was all ___ and ___" sentence structure i abhor.
there were so many chapters than began or ended with corny, declarative sentences: "this was growing up. this was the future shifting. this was history."
and i get the theme of what home means that was happening here, but if i have to read one more interchangeable harvard or galveston description i will ensure both are permanently closed.
i guess in the end, this felt like a very promising debut to me, but there was no moment i could forget it was a debut.
sorry if that's b*tchy.
bottom line: the real heist was the expectations we lost along the way.
2.5
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currently-reading updates
a heist story about Chinese college students stealing back art from colonizer museums? i'm so excited about this i don't even know what to do with myself. what do i normally do with my hands?!
and still i'm like...huh. that wasn't what i thought it would be!
i am, like any self-respecting citizen, addicted to heist plot lines. they're the best. i once thought i had feelings for someone because we watched heist movies every time we hung out, and then the heist movies were removed from the equation and there were no feelings whatsoever.
in other words, i feel genuine romantic love for heists.
relatedly, i think most people dislike this book (or felt disappointed by it) because it's not really a heist story, and because the heist(s) there are are very rudimentary and not so fun.
and by most people, i mean me.
so this bait and switch (lol) momentarily upset me, betrayed me, destroyed my trust and love in the universe and those around me, but once i recovered somewhat...
the themes that take up the page count that the heists otherwise would have (if i designed the entire world) were enough for me! the explorations of diaspora and colonization, of cultural and personal identity, were fascinating and well done, imo.
where we have a problem (because this is me, and of course there is a problem) lies elsewhere.
namely, in the flat characters, the suddenly-there romances, and the annoying writing style.
there were so many descriptions teeming with that "she was all thighs and eyelashes," "he was all confidence and cologne," "he was all ___ and ___" sentence structure i abhor.
there were so many chapters than began or ended with corny, declarative sentences: "this was growing up. this was the future shifting. this was history."
and i get the theme of what home means that was happening here, but if i have to read one more interchangeable harvard or galveston description i will ensure both are permanently closed.
i guess in the end, this felt like a very promising debut to me, but there was no moment i could forget it was a debut.
sorry if that's b*tchy.
bottom line: the real heist was the expectations we lost along the way.
2.5
------------
currently-reading updates
a heist story about Chinese college students stealing back art from colonizer museums? i'm so excited about this i don't even know what to do with myself. what do i normally do with my hands?!
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Reading Progress
November 8, 2021
– Shelved
May 12, 2022
–
Started Reading
May 12, 2022
–
Finished Reading
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message 1:
by
Kitty
(last edited May 13, 2022 12:56AM)
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May 12, 2022 12:53PM
ooh, this sounds like something that needs to be on my tbr
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I agree with Kitty, this is a book I’d enjoy.
Kitty wrote: "ooh, this sounds like something that needs to be on my tbr"yessss!
violetderey wrote: "I agree with Kitty, this is a book I’d enjoy."it's less heisty than i thought but still good!!
I think it’s a really common, easy mistake to make, to try to wrap every thought up with a pithy lesson, but that really, really frustrated me about this book, too.
I just hit 50% and I’m struggling for all the reasons you described! I’m getting lost in the annoying descriptions of everything and nothing that aren’t adding any value. I feel like I’m going crazy or missing pages of my ebook because everyone else seems to be raving about it… where are the sneaky heist tricks? Where’s the ‘gotcha!’? I’m not sure if I can stick it out to the end. I’m trying!
@Amy I literally could have written this exact review
Spot on review. I agree completely.On a side note... please recommend your favorite heist books !?!?
Tabitha wrote: "I think it’s a really common, easy mistake to make, to try to wrap every thought up with a pithy lesson, but that really, really frustrated me about this book, too."it could have been a muuuuch more complex and fulfilling read had it resisted that impulse
Amy wrote: "I just hit 50% and I’m struggling for all the reasons you described! I’m getting lost in the annoying descriptions of everything and nothing that aren’t adding any value. I feel like I’m going craz..."neither of those things exist and it's extremely aggravating!
Jamie wrote: "Spot on review. I agree completely.On a side note... please recommend your favorite heist books !?!?"
six of crows always
i hope your next read is much better <3
Hi I we're not goodreads friends but I follow you (almost religiously and stalkerishly if you squint) Have you read/heard anything about the lies of locke lamora? Very fun gentleman-bastards-heisty-con-men-group-of-best-buddies-rapscallions book. Little slow in parts if we're being honest - but when it's fun it's capitol F Fun!
I 100% agree with everything you said. The over the top description of every single thing was driving me nuts. Plus the "all ___ and ____" was so abundant... How did no editor catch it??
Beth wrote: "Hi I we're not goodreads friends but I follow you (almost religiously and stalkerishly if you squint) Have you read/heard anything about the lies of locke lamora? Very fun gentleman-bastards-heis..."
i'm sold!
leelo wrote: "i hope your next read is much better <3"thank you!
Ericka ☾⋆ wrote: "I 100% agree with everything you said. The over the top description of every single thing was driving me nuts. Plus the "all ___ and ____" was so abundant... How did no editor catch it??"right??? it bugs me particularly so i knew i was more prone to notice it but it eventually happened SO MANY TIMES
