Shelfari: The Site for Books & ReadersShelfari Logo

How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got A Life: A Novel
 

How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got A Life: A Novel

by Kaavya Viswanathan

A lively and irresistible first novel about an overachieving teenage girl who discovers that, in order to get into the college of her dreams, she needs to have more fun. Since Opal's birth, the Mehtas have raised their only daughter with one goal in mind: to get into Harvard. They even concocted a rigorous game plan they called HOWGIH--How Opal Will Get Into Harvard. There were flowcharts,... (read more)

Top tags: chick lit,  fiction,  humor,  indian writing,  humour (all tags)

Readers

Groups

  • What are you reading? Discussion Group
  • Humorous Books Discussion Group
  • puckish Discussion Group
  • I love books ! Discussion Group

Other Reviews

Amazon Reviews (5)
 

Most Helpful Reviews

Liked It

Antoinette C
  • Rated 4 stars

“If you're in college, trying to get in, or just trying not to think about it, this book is for you. Opal Mehta's whole life has been built around one thing: Get into Harvard. Her world comes crashing down around her when her interviewer at a Harvard campus visit asks her: "What do you do for fun?" and she can't answer. So Opal and her hilarious, overbearing, overeager parents go on a crusade to get Opal a life.”

Antoinette C’s full review »
more reviews »

Didn’t Like It

Goofpooky
  • Rated 2 stars

“outright copy of princess diaries”

Goofpooky’s full review »
more reviews »
Community:
  • Rated 3.070248 stars
Amazon:
  • Rated 2.875 stars
  

Newest Comments

  • swatisk

    swatisk said:

    “I would have enjoyed this book had I not just finished reading "Sloppy Firsts" and "Second Helpings", 2 of the 3 series set by Megan McCafferty. I was shocked and putoff at how heavily the Indian author has borrowed from this series. She has just put an indian twist on the original story by McCafferty...Pathetic..”

    posted Monday, June 9 2008
  • Twinkle

    twinkle said:

    “funny, amazing, different and hilarious.”

    posted Monday, February 4 2008
  • abdul latif k

    abdul latif k said:

    “In the name of the Almighty Creator and Sustainer of the Universe, The most Graceful, The most Merciful

    Sub: Aim of life, its values and values in it.

    Dear friends

    I wish you will certainly like to go through the opening chapter of the holy quran sent herewith in urdu and english and visit netquran dot com for very very important aspects of holy quran at one place specially learning of languages, learning translation in different languages, its translations in English by marmaduke and others, a very vast arguement on science and quran, biological and mathematical wonders revealed in quran and many other parametrs for developing purety of belief , thought and actions in order to get endless bounties of Almighty here and hereafter.
    In the beginning of this e-mail, an essence of true belief is mentioned. The common saying of the companions of the prophet PBUH were that they learnt the true belief first and the Holy quran afterwards. Intentions are refined to right intention in the light of true belief only. It is this right intention that occupies its first position in the sahih bukhari and it is this right intention that will be the basis for the evaluation of the deeds on the day of judgmnent for the award of final rewards and punishments.
    I hope you will certainly like to forward this e-mail message to as many people as possible. We do not know as to how many of them may become an instrument for others to follow and practise the true belief in right earnest and reward of which could be shared by us equally as per announcement of Almighty, The Authority of the Universe. May He bless us all for the follow and prctise of the True belief for getting success here and here after.

    a l khan




    TRUE BELIEF

    (THE BASIS FOR ACCEPTIBILITY OF A DEED)

    A. True Belief Item No 1.1 (One ness of the Supreme Authority – the Creator)

    The philosophy of the monotheism requires implementation of right attitude in life in order to foster universal brotherhood. The logic behind the true belief is the clear and factual consideration of the fact that nothing can exist and come into being without having its creator. In this way this philosophy dictates without any doubt that the universe has a creator. And the creator is one and only one who created the whole of the universe. Newton discovered the law of the Gravitation, Mendel discovered the laws of heredity and so on so forth. All these laws appear in perfect conformity in their presentation. They are perfect in them. Is there still a doubt that they have come to exist without their creator and sustainer?

    True Belief Item No 1.2 (The Sustainer)


    A mountain can fall and become a pile of stone but can never become on its own a grand sky scrapper building or a new Taj Mahal or any grand building fitted with air conditioners, bulb, tube lights, fans etc. All the magnificent item of the universe like the sun, moon, earth, galaxies, stars , coming of day and night being in perfect order are the evidences for that they have been created by a supreme authority. He is not only the creator but the sustainer as well.

    True Belief Item No 1.3 (The Great, Merciful and Gracious )


    As every thing depends on being created by Him, similarly they all depend on Him to provide any one benefit or loss. In human body one can see that the heart, lungs, kidneys, food pipe etc. work on under the full control of their Creator and are totally independent of man’s will. They have been given to man and the man is the custodian and the not the owner. What a tragedy it will be if man says about every thing in the universe as a natural being without its creator. One can call Him by any name with a clear understanding that He is free from all associates. He is unique. Any name given to Him that symbolizes any form or the one that points towards any one other that Him is an effort to blame on His authority. He is above all.

    True Belief Item No 1.4 (Purity in Supremacy, Omni potency and Praise worthy)


    The moment He is compared with any thing, He is not that. He is one and only one. There is no one second to Him. He does not have father or son. He can not become a creation in any form. He can not be shaped in any form or images. He is pure and free from all shortcomings. He is the only Authority who deserves all the praises and every thing belongs to Him and every thing returns to Him only. The life and death are in his hands only. He is the beginning and the end. His supremacy can be seen and felt by seeing the vastness of the grand creation.



    True Belief Item No 2 (man-the best creation)

    Now after believing Him in term of unparallel authority, one has to look over the creation to justify as to which one is the best of all the creation. Every one has to say without any doubt that the man is the best of among all the creation. Looking from the angle of the qualities which give man a superiority over whole of the creation, one can say that he has two most important attributes which are not possessed by any one of the creation.

    True Belief Item No 2.1.1 (man-the universe for him alone)

    The man is the only creation who can utilize one and all the created items as per his requirement and no one else. A mountain can not utilize and engage sun or moon or any object for the activity suitable to any other creation and vice versa. The animals, the plants, the cow, the goat can eat, grow, and reproduce for themselves only. They are unable to extend loss or benefit to any one out of their wisdom. They may show some sort of parental care to their young ones only and not any one else. They can not use any of the items of the creation with a view to help man or others. They have very limited sense to survive themselves to the extent given instinct to them by the supreme authority. They stand no where parallel to man in this regard whereas man has full capacity to utilize them all the way he wants. This proves beyond any doubt that they have been created for the service of man and man has not been created to worship any one of them. The man, beyond any doubt, is the only creation for whom the universe has been created and has been handed over to him.

    True Belief Item No 2.1.2 (man-the one who knows alone how to use pen )

    The second unparallel quality of the man among all the creation is that he is the only one who knows how to handle pen. Through this instrument he passes the information and experiences to the next generation. This factual approach makes quite clear that man has not been created to offer his prayers for any of the creation. The whole universe has been made to serve him and not to be worshipped by him. Thus a prophet or any scholar whosoever he might be does not deserve to be worshipped and similarly none of the creation like sun, moon or any one of the creation deserve so. Rather worshipping them is the greatest dishonor to the supreme authority. Thus any association in any form to Him or rejecting Him becomes the worst crime.



    True Belief Item No 3 .1 (accounting – the day of the judgment)

    Since the man has been handed over the whole universe, it is he who has to be accounted. In our daily life we find every one taking the account from others. The government takes account from the public and the public takes account from the governments, parents among themselves, customers from the shopkeepers, the shop keepers from the customers and so on so forth. The account becomes due when the work is completed. The work of man is over at the time of his death. Therefore accounting has to take place after the death only and not before man’s death.

    True Belief Item No 3.2 (The Supreme Accountant)

    Now the question arises as to who is the competent authority to take the account of man. The answer is now simple. The authority that created the man, passed on the whole universe at his disposal and under his custody, is the only competent authority to take the account. The account of man must be the final one. There should not be any possibility left to get another chance to add or subtract the deeds to his credit. This is in this way the man takes full precaution to follow and practice the true belief before his death. This is the only possibility to have full control over the human deeds.
    The belief that the supreme authority is watching and recording the human activity every moment will guide and control the man to do every deed as per His dictation and Him only in order to get the final reward for ever. The fear that any deed done in the honor of other than Him will be confiscated will purify his actions.

    True Belief Item No 3.3

    The deeds of man which happen purely for Him will be accounted for reward and other deeds will be (discarded) accounted for punishment. The over all account will decide the final reward or punishment. No one will have any authority to interfere in His decision and judgments. The account will be fully justified and the result will be final one. The one getting the result in his favor will be declared successful and the one getting the result against him will be declared a failure. The successful ones will enter into paradise to enjoy there for ever and the failures will be sent to hell fire to face all the tortures for ever.

    True Belief Item No 3.4

    The account should be taken by that authority only who created the universe and handed over it to man. In order to have success hereafter one has to follow and practice the philosophy in its real sense.



    True Belief Item No 3.5

    The book which provides the information in conformity with the true belief should be taken as the authentic one and the rest can be considered as polluted one. It is in this sense the comparative study of the books should be made and the right one without any prejudice should be followed. On comparative study any one can compare the messages available in Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism or any religious book. One will find the Holy Quran as the only source available on the face of the earth dictating the true belief in right earnest and guiding for the purity of deeds. Other sources have the messages but some how in polluted form of belief, and are not available in the form of a true belief. Any one can take up this challenge as the authentic one and can prove himself by going through the references.

    May Almighty bless the men in their endeavor to seek the truth.



    B. True belief and aim of life


    Now the aim of life becomes transparent. In order to get success here and here after one has to follow the directives of the Almighty and procedure of the prophet. There is no other valid way.

    One who believes and practices the true belief will certainly enter one day in heaven and one who follows his own wishes will be put to loss. This is the only belief for which all the messengers have been sent to purify the belief and intentions of men with Mohammad pbuh as the last prophet. Since he is the last prophet and no prophet will come till the final day, it has been delegated to the followers of the last prophet to convey the true belief to men. Any one who conveys this true belief to any one , in fact does the work of the last prophet and this is in this context the followers of the last prophet have been given the position of a leader of the whole mankind. In order to become the true follower of the last prophet one has to convey every day the true belief to him and to all to whom he comes in contact with in order to get the reward of prophetic work. May Almighty give us sincerity , courage , wisdom, time and understanding to take up the responsibility in this regard for which we have been given members ship of the followers of the last prophet.

    Allah Hafiz


    AL-FATIHAH (1)
    "The Opening"
    (Revealed at Mecca, Verses: 7)
    In the name of Allah, The Merciful, The All-merciful
    Praise be to God, the Lord of the World, (1)
    the Merciful, the All-merciful, (2)
    the Master of the Day of Recompense. (3)
    Thee we serve, and to Thee we pray for help. (4)
    Guide us to the Straight Path, (5)
    the path of those whom Thou hast blessed,(6)
    not of those who incurred wrath, nor of the astray. (7)



    ”

    posted Sunday, December 30 2007
  • varsha v

    varsha v said:

    “WORTH A ONE TIME READ........”

    posted Tuesday, October 30 2007
  • Nidhi

    nidhi said:

    “Faaltu hype.. interesting in some places but run of the mill otherwise...”

    posted Tuesday, October 30 2007
© 2008 Tastemakers, Inc. | Portions of Shelfari.com are Copyright © 1996-2008 Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy | Copyright Policy