Author Spotlight: Kaavya Viswanathan
Here is the description from Publishers Weekly:
It’s Legally Blond in reverse-a super-serious straight-A student turns popular girl to get into Harvard-courtesy of real-life Harvard sophomore Viswanathan, making her much-touted debut. At her Harvard early admissions interview, Opal Mehta, an NRI (or “Non-Resident Indian”) from suburban Woodcliff, N.J., is told that Harvard is looking for “young people who want to live and experience life.” Opal, in turn, tells her extremely involved, hilariously drawn parents Amal and Meena, who come up with a plan complete with acronym: HOWGAL-How Opal Will Get a Life. It includes getting a Frederic Fekkai haircut, amassing a designer wardrobe and cracking the Haute Bitchez clique-with the complete O.C. on DVD as prep. While Opal’s first steps falter, she is soon trading clothes and lip gloss with the trendy elite. But disaster follows success: not only does Opal end up kissing Sean, the object of another of the Haute Bitchez’ affections, but her Treo falls into the wrong hands, a la Harriet the Spy. It’s all very chick lit-girl gets problem, gets Prada, gets over it-but it’s a lot of fun, and Viswanathan’s eye-rolling intelligence shines through on every page.
Why this one:
1. I read the description and fell in love with the idea. It seemed fresh and funny and real. From reading this article in USA Today, I now know it kind of is real. I am even ready to forgive the fact Viswanathan sold this as a college frshman…and that she got a two-book $500,000 deal. She doesn’t even graduate until 2008.
2. It supposed to be funny and charming. It’s hard for me to resist funny and charming.
3. Chick lit gets knocked all the time. Try to imagine how the reviewers are going to call this author and her heroine empty-headed morons, or whatever other negative thing reviewers say about chick lit.
4. I haven’t read enough chick lit lately.
April 7th, 2006 at 12:02 am
I’m looking forward to this one, too — Indian chick lit has been one of my reading staples lately, and this one sounds like a lot of fun. I love the idea of the heroine going in almost chick-lit reverse.
April 19th, 2006 at 11:19 am
This is one of the ten best books I’ve ever read. (I read an advance copy) I was completely drawn in to Opal’s world. I found it engrosssing, and believable. It made the Indian culture very accessible and flowed as a natural part of the book. I am telling all my friends, and will would absolutely buy this author’s next book. I can’t rave enough. I felt as if I were part of Opal’s life.
I would not lump this book in with the sometimes questionable “chick lit”. This is literature at it’s finest, and most enjoyable.
April 23rd, 2006 at 2:43 am
The character Opal is so easy to get. A little over the top but definitely identifiable. I heard that it is going to b a movie soon. Soha Ali Khan would make the perfect Opal with James Franco as Sean. Can’t wait to see it.
April 24th, 2006 at 4:03 pm
BUSTED!!!!!!!!!!
April 25th, 2006 at 7:47 am
I just saw the tv news item on NBC Today show about Kaavya’s alleged plagiarism - resemblances between her book and novels by Megan McCafferty -
What is this all about?
April 25th, 2006 at 1:24 pm
Hang her and all plagiarists! She should never be allowed a writing contract ever again, or near a computer for that matter. Of course all this does is give 1,000 more times the publicity to both books. Hmmm.
April 25th, 2006 at 3:35 pm
Kaavya Viswanathan is so fine I think i’m in luv!
April 25th, 2006 at 3:38 pm
Wow. Cheater. Figures.
April 25th, 2006 at 3:42 pm
I wonder if i could shoot a documentry of Kaavya Viswanathan.In her journeys as a young writer damn that would be hot!!!! It’s time to foucs on my genration and the talented people who are doing well for their future. I’m a big fan of hers Kaavya, keep doin you~1
April 25th, 2006 at 3:46 pm
Burn N. Hell shut the fuck up!! Kaavya Viswanathan is very talented shes going to be around for a very long time asshole!
April 25th, 2006 at 9:11 pm
hmm, might be time to close the comments on this one, HK.
April 25th, 2006 at 9:54 pm
Look, no one enjoys a good round of profanity more than I do. But, Jay’s right. Enough of the childish name calling. Let’s at least pretend we’re reasonable and mature adults. Take your screaming fights elsewhere…especially if you’re too chicken to leave a contact blog or email and engage in a fair fight.
April 26th, 2006 at 12:03 am
I’ve known Kaavya for quite a while, and I believe her when she says that she did not intentionally copy any works. She has quite a memory for funny and memorable lines, and it’s unfair to say that she “plaigarized” when she’s merely internalized the lines until they became her own.
April 26th, 2006 at 12:17 am
Well, I don’t know much about her, and from what I’ve read, it seems she is indeed quite intelligent and talented. Nevertheless, after reading all the examples of similarities between Kaavya’s and McCafferty’s books, I find it difficult to conclude she didn’t actually do some intentional lifting from the latter’s work. Does this make her a bad person? Not at all, in my opinion. Good people make mistakes, and if it turns out it was intentional (after all, the jury is still out) then this just happened to be a real doozy.
April 26th, 2006 at 12:20 am
Just a comment… I was skeptical at first when I first heard about this whole matter but looking at the comparisons between the two books in question, it’s pretty clear that Kaavya in some way copied some phrases… I mean even with such “a memory for funny and memorable lines” some of the words Kaavya uses are exact copies, just take a look if you don’t believe me (I got the comparisons off of a link in the NYTimes website) I mean I can’t believe she got paid $500,000 for this:
Best Friend
Bridget is my age and lives across the street. For the first twelve years of my life, these qualifications were all I needed in a best friend. But that was before Bridget’s braces came off and her boyfriend, Burke, got on, and before Hope and I met in our seventh-grade honors class.
”Sloppy Firsts,” page. 7
Priscilla was my age and lived two blocks away. For the first fifteen years of my life, those were the only qualifications I needed in a best friend. We had first bonded over our mutual fascination with the abacus in a playgroup for gifted kids. But that was before freshman year, when Priscilla’s glasses came off, and the first in a long string of boyfriends got on.
”Opal Mehta,” page 14
The Bad Boy
The other thing about Marcus is that crackheaded girls who don’t know any better think he’s sexy. I don’t see it. He’s got dusty reddish dreads that a girl could never run her hands through. His eyes are always half-shut. His lips are usually curled into a semi-smile, like he’s in on a big joke that’s being played on you but you don’t know it yet.
”Sloppy Firsts,” page 23
Just about every girl, from the A list HBz to the stoner hoochies, thought he was sexy. The weird thing was, I didn’t see it. He had too-long shaggy brown hair that fell into his eyes, which were always half-shut. His mouth was always curled into a half smile, like he knew about some big joke that was about to be played on you.
”Opal Mehta,” page 48
Personal Space
Marcus then leaned across me to open the passenger-side door. He was invading my personal space, as I had learned in Psych class, and I instinctively sank back into the seat. That just made him move in closer. I was practically one with the leather at this point, and unless I hopped into the backseat, there was nowhere else for me to go.
”Sloppy Firsts,” page 213
Sean stood up and stepped toward me, ostensibly to show me the book. He was definitely invading my personal space, as I had learned in a Human Evolution class last summer, and I instinctively backed up till my legs hit the chair I had been sitting in. That just made him move in closer, until the grommets in the leather embossed the backs of my knees, and he finally tilted the book toward me.
”Opal Mehta,” page 175
Shopping
Finally, four major department stores and 170 specialty shops later, we were done.
”Sloppy Firsts,” page 237
Five department stores, and 170 specialty shops later, I was sick of listening to her hum along to Alicia Keyes, and worn out from resisting her efforts to buy me a pink tube top emblazoned with a glittery Playboy bunny.
”Opal Mehta,” page 51
April 26th, 2006 at 5:40 pm
When I first read the news article, I thought that there was no way a Harvard student (someone you would think highly intelligent) would plagiarize. Or, at least, wouldn’t make it very obvious. Then I read the excerpts listed above, among others.
More similarities…
McCafferty:
“Sabrina was the brainy Angel. Yet another example of how every girl had to be one or the other: Pretty or smart. Guess which one I got. You’ll see where it’s gotten me.”
Viswanathan:
“Moneypenny was the brainy female character. Yet another example of how every girl had to be one or the other: smart or pretty. I had long resigned myself to category one, and as long as it got me to Harvard, I was happy. Except, it hadn’t gotten me to Harvard. Clearly, it was time to switch to category two.”
McCafferty:
“…but in a truly sadomasochistic dieting gesture, they chose to buy their Diet Cokes at Cinnabon.”
Viswanathan:
“In a truly masochistic gesture, they had decided to buy Diet Cokes from Mrs. Fields…”
I do not believe she simply “remembered” quotes from McCafferty’s books and then “forgot” they were someone else’s copyrighted works. Yes, people make mistakes, but what Ms. Viswanathan did was ethically (morally, legally…) wrong. She should give the money back, if they do not in fact demand it back. I’m pretty sure her career will go the same was as James Frey.
April 26th, 2006 at 11:39 pm
Kaavya is a brazen plagiarist of the worst kind, a traitor to the arts and a murderer of the writer’s soul. And yet she denies it all. Harvard shmarvard. She should be sitting in jail, not a classroom.
May 2nd, 2006 at 8:22 pm
>Kaavya is a brazen plagiarist of the worst kind, a traitor to the arts and a murderer of the writer’s soul.
Wow. Just….wow. It’s plagiarism. You make it sound like she killed someone. And traitor? Laying it on a little thick, don’t you think? Especially when people are making decisions in today’s world that actually amount to traitorous offenses.
Really, now. It’s a book, for crying out loud. Worse yet, it’s chick-lit. Anyone who’s reading this sort of bilge has some explaining to do of their own. Maybe you’re just mad that you were reading this stuff in the first place. Who knows.
But I am glad you’ve never made a mistake and gotten in over your head. The book company and her agent have to share in this blame. They won’t, but it’s their fault, too. And i expect that they won’t own up to it…just like our young “author” here.
If the media keeps indicting this girl this way, and she kills herself, will you be happy? Will you feel vindicated?
May 2nd, 2006 at 9:09 pm
Really, now. It’s a book, for crying out loud. Worse yet, it’s chick-lit. Anyone who’s reading this sort of bilge has some explaining to do of their own. Maybe you’re just mad that you were reading this stuff in the first place. Who knows.
Heh - You ruined whatever point you were trying to make by including this paragraph. Really, enough with the chick lit bashing. Putting down a genre you don’t read doesn’t make you look intelligent. It makes you look simple.
May 3rd, 2006 at 6:07 pm
Are you really defending this little girl? Unbelievable. At last we see the true spirit of feminism. It’s not about equality– it’s really that women simply can not do anything wrong. Well, it makes for a great joke with your girlfriend over cocktails, but not very realistic.
This girl obviously did ‘borrow’ from other authors. Each day reveals the extent to which she has plagiarized another piece of writing. Yet, in her arrogance she still won’t accept this fact let alone acknowledge, that she did something wrong.
Her response to Katie Couric (who amazingly enough asked some tough questions) on the TODAY show was ‘When I was writing, I genuinely believed each word was my own.’
Can you tell she’s consulted with some attorneys?
As for bashing ‘chick lit’, I’ve never read any but I was told that the book that the HBO series “Sex and the City” was based on falls into this category. That’s more than enough reason to take shots at it. For five years we had to put up with it and its self-serving, shallow characters that acted without any accountability in their love lives and careers. As Eric Alterman once wrote in a column of his (notice how I give credit to my source, Kaavya?) “if Samantha’s character were male he would be labeled psychotic”. Of course, maybe the book was worthwhile and deserving of more than a grade B actress who had never done anything worth mentioning.
If there is a problem with “chick lit” maybe it’s not the content but it’s readers who actually think that it’s more of a handbook for living, then a satirical look at a character’s life. It certainly seems that Ms. Viswanathan might have imitated too much of what she read, throwing caution to the wind so to speak, when she copied someone else’s work. Maybe she didn’t consult with an attorney, but really BELIEVES that she did nothing wrong—that is disturbing.
As for the quite colorful response from an earlier post
“Kaavya Viswanathan is very talented shes going to be around for a very long time”
I wouldn’t bet on it.
May 3rd, 2006 at 10:21 pm
Jonathan -
Not sure why both chick lit and feminism are taking hits here. I agree that what Viswanathan did was plagiarism and wrong and the result - losing her book deal, losing her movie deal, public disgrace - all should have happened to her. The whole thing is sad and pathetic.
How you get from there to blaming chick lit - again, a genre you obviously don’t read - is the mystery. I’ve seen one or two tv movies based on crime novels and those movies were terrible. Does that mean all crime novels suck? Of course not. No one would make that argument for any other genre, so it’s not clear why the argument is valid when applied to chick lit. Having seen Sex and The City a few times doesn’t make you a chick lit novel expert. It simply means you saw a tv show you didn’t like. My point on this previously remains the same: if you want to give credence to your argument about Viswanathan, then don’t make baseless statements on unrelated issues (chick lit) of which you have no knowledge. When you do that, it’s too easy to discount everything else you say. Going down the “I haven’t read chick lit but I know it sucks” road isn’t an argument - it’s a silly statement. It’s lame and trite. Stick to the subject. Last time I checked, plagiarism happens across all genres, so chick lit can’t be the culprit.
May 4th, 2006 at 12:33 pm
Sadly enough you missed my point.
I simply said that based on my limited experience, if “Sex and the City” is an example (and famous one at that) of the genre, then I can understand someone (as did an earlier poster) taking shots at it. I acknowledged that maybe the book was “worthwhile” and it was misrepresented by the series. My point is that Viswanathan, who obviously was inspired by the genre so much so that she published some collected works of her favorite authors, may have been inspired by the no accountability, “do what I want” attitude of the show. It could just be this one instance of the genre–gone bad– but first impressions count a lot. As someone who is fairly well read, I have to wonder when we got the point of having genres such as “chick lit” or “male lit” (I believe it’s also known as “d__k lit”). Why the separate distinction for the genders?
Where ever she got her moral compass, it was badly damaged. Maybe it was her parents. Maybe her friends or just being so young.
As for your comment “Going down the I haven’t read chick lit but I know it sucks”– that’s not true. I don’t KNOW that it sucks. I was disappointed in one example, maybe a bad one, at that.
And to say that you can discount everything I say because of one statement that you found “silly”, won’t work counselor. Just because you raise an objection to one statement doesn’t mean the judge is going to instruct the jury to disregard the other side’s entire case.
Nevertheless, if you were my attorney I would definitely appreciate the effort.
Best wishes on your latest book.
May 22nd, 2006 at 4:07 pm
Well, I cannot believe what happened! Good Lord. I can’t take back what I said about loving the book, but I am sure angry that I got fooled.
May 25th, 2006 at 12:01 am
there has been similarities in the passages but it mayt be due the influence that mc cafferty’s writings might have had on Kaavya. i came across a very nice article…
take a look..
http://www.merinews.com/newsPortal/JSP/catFull.jsp?articleID=129&catID=6&category=Entertainment
September 1st, 2008 at 6:19 pm
little bitch plagiarist needs to be shut down! kick her out of school and make her work at mcdonald’s.