Hats Off to Little, Brown
For withdawing Kaavya Visnawathan's book. The core principle here was, a theft. It's great to see that the victim, Megan McCafferty, has prospered from the events and that Little, Brown has behaved so honorably. Its author, Visnawathan, has my sympathy. I hope she gets to keep her big advance and writes another book, truer to her own experience.
(Notwithstanding the fact that she drives a Range Rover, and brags about it. Privileged teenagers driving SUV's—why are oil companies the only ones responsible for the mess we're in?)
You wrote:
"Its author, Visnawathan, has my sympathy. I hope she gets to keep her big advance and writes another book, truer to her own experience."
Why?
Short of evidence showing that she was manipulated or bullied into lifting more than 40 passages, I see no reason why she deserves one jot of sympathy or another chance at publication, at least, not for a very, very long time. At 19, she's not a baby.
I know it's unfashionable these days to be judgmental, but one reason these scandals keep breaking is because people think they can get away with it. I suspect what we hear about is only the tip of the iceberg.