Portrait of a Thief

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by Grace D. Li
Out Now!
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Our girls are back from their trip to Grandma’s. Our little break is over then though we spent most of it working or cleaning.

❓ What are you doing this weekend?

This book though centered around heists delves into a topic that I am very interested in. Art and when it’s displaced, stolen, hidden, etc. Colonialism has so many sins listed with it but stealing cultures essence and history for monetary gain is one of them. Ugh the greed and immorality of generations.

This was a very interesting book. They weren’t professionals by any means but they had their specialities. I enjoyed the writing style and the traveling from Santa Clara to Beijing to Paris and back to Santa Clara. I was born there lol. I love books set in the Bay.

Synopsis:
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. 

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.


Thank you @penguin and @netgalley for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

🌉 Painted on a wall at the Transbay Terminal in SF