“Portrait of a Thief” is a beautiful exploration of what it means to be an American-born person whose ancestry lies on a different continent. It’s also about stealing art. More specifically, Chinese art plundered from previous conquests by the Western world.
In the book, China has requested that their plundered items be returned to them, to no avail. So now, a wealthy private citizen wants to hire a group of Chinese-American college students to steal the art back. The problem is, none of them are majoring in theft.
Can they steal all five Chinese artworks back? Or will they get caught, ruining their futures in the process? With delightful character development, lovely writing, and a little romance, this is an excellent book choice.
Three words that describe this book: Deep, intricate, thoughtful
You might want to pick this book up if: you like heists and a Robin Hood-esque quest.
-Anonymous
This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading 2022. We will continue to share these throughout the year.