---
product_id: 15691173
title: "Hood: A Bittersweet Queer Romance of Love and Death – Friends to Lovers in 1970s Catholic Dublin"
price: "$32.04"
currency: USD
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 8
url: https://www.desertcart.us/products/15691173-hood-a-bittersweet-queer-romance-of-love-and-death-friends
store_origin: US
region: United States of America
---

# Hood: A Bittersweet Queer Romance of Love and Death – Friends to Lovers in 1970s Catholic Dublin

**Price:** $32.04
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** Hood: A Bittersweet Queer Romance of Love and Death – Friends to Lovers in 1970s Catholic Dublin
- **How much does it cost?** $32.04 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.us](https://www.desertcart.us/products/15691173-hood-a-bittersweet-queer-romance-of-love-and-death-friends)

## Best For

- Customers looking for quality international products

## Why This Product

- Free international shipping included
- Worldwide delivery with tracking
- 15-day hassle-free returns

## Description

desertcart.com: Hood: A Bittersweet Queer Romance of Love and Death – Friends to Lovers in 1970s Catholic Dublin: 9780062117106: Donoghue, Emma: Books

Review: Lesbian grief overload - Closeted Pen (Penelope) O'Grady takes the reader for a heartbreaking ride through Kubler-Ross' five stages of grief, via flashbacks, following the sudden death of her beloved Cara Wall, in a taxicab accident. Pen is a captivating character who lives a simple life and was deeply in love with her partner; she is stricken. Halfway in, Pen references the book title: the color of her Cara's red hair, the recall of her raincoat hood on a bittersweet busride, the "widowhood" to which she now is subject, the "sisterhood"... She tells us: "There wasn't a lesbianhood that I knew of, only an ism, sounding like a digestive disease." Tender, touching love story, beautifully written and moving, but ultimately, a drain. Further, for those sensitive, there is much explicit homosexuality in "Hood". Introduced to Emma Donoghue's writing with "Room", she made the lead character profoundly sympathetic and frankly for that reason, I persevered to finish.
Review: I cannot put into words how much I love this book. - I have read this book many times, and at times it makes me sob with bitter sadness, and at other times it makes me laugh out loud. The writing is exquisite; the bathtub scene (Pen's memory of a peaceful time with her and her recently deceased lover) captures perfectly what the essence of love is. It's beautiful. The frustration that Pen feels at having to keep silent about her partner's death (because she works at a Catholic school and because she lives in Ireland) transmits frustration to the readers as well -- but not in that hokey, "oh being a lesbian is so hard" preachy way. It is Pen's evolution as she learns to cope with Cara's death and to face certain truths she didn't want to deal with previously. I also believe that it is a beautiful love story but in a realistic way - the main characters are not perfect, yet their love is so intense. It's not a "romance" -- it's a real-life, complex love story. I haven't been as big a fan of Donoghue's other novels so far, but this one stands out as exceptional for its writing, story line and character development. Read Hood -- with a box of tissues nearby.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| ASIN  | 0062117106 |
| Best Sellers Rank | #1,469,777 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #348 in LGBTQ+ Family Life Fiction (Books) #355 in LGBTQ+ Coming of Age Fiction (Books) #1,211 in LGBTQ+ Literary Fiction (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 3.6 3.6 out of 5 stars (182) |
| Dimensions  | 5.31 x 0.76 x 8 inches |
| Edition  | Reprint |
| ISBN-10  | 9780062117106 |
| ISBN-13  | 978-0062117106 |
| Item Weight  | 9.6 ounces |
| Language  | English |
| Print length  | 336 pages |
| Publication date  | October 11, 2011 |
| Publisher  | Harper Perennial |

## Images

![Hood: A Bittersweet Queer Romance of Love and Death – Friends to Lovers in 1970s Catholic Dublin - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71uJx5gIeML.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐ Lesbian grief overload
*by G***S on February 13, 2015*

Closeted Pen (Penelope) O'Grady takes the reader for a heartbreaking ride through Kubler-Ross' five stages of grief, via flashbacks, following the sudden death of her beloved Cara Wall, in a taxicab accident. Pen is a captivating character who lives a simple life and was deeply in love with her partner; she is stricken. Halfway in, Pen references the book title: the color of her Cara's red hair, the recall of her raincoat hood on a bittersweet busride, the "widowhood" to which she now is subject, the "sisterhood"... She tells us: "There wasn't a lesbianhood that I knew of, only an ism, sounding like a digestive disease." Tender, touching love story, beautifully written and moving, but ultimately, a drain. Further, for those sensitive, there is much explicit homosexuality in "Hood". Introduced to Emma Donoghue's writing with "Room", she made the lead character profoundly sympathetic and frankly for that reason, I persevered to finish.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I cannot put into words how much I love this book.
*by R***Z on August 12, 2004*

I have read this book many times, and at times it makes me sob with bitter sadness, and at other times it makes me laugh out loud. The writing is exquisite; the bathtub scene (Pen's memory of a peaceful time with her and her recently deceased lover) captures perfectly what the essence of love is. It's beautiful. The frustration that Pen feels at having to keep silent about her partner's death (because she works at a Catholic school and because she lives in Ireland) transmits frustration to the readers as well -- but not in that hokey, "oh being a lesbian is so hard" preachy way. It is Pen's evolution as she learns to cope with Cara's death and to face certain truths she didn't want to deal with previously. I also believe that it is a beautiful love story but in a realistic way - the main characters are not perfect, yet their love is so intense. It's not a "romance" -- it's a real-life, complex love story. I haven't been as big a fan of Donoghue's other novels so far, but this one stands out as exceptional for its writing, story line and character development. Read Hood -- with a box of tissues nearby.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Good for grieving lesbians
*by J***. on March 18, 2016*

Or anyone, really. It's well written and entertaining. A bit slow in the beginning, but keep going and you won't regret it.

## Frequently Bought Together

- Hood: A Novel
- A Girl Is a Half-formed Thing: A Novel
- Eggshells

---

## Why Shop on Desertcart?

- 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016
- 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories
- 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price
- 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members)
- 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection
- ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews

**Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.us/products/15691173-hood-a-bittersweet-queer-romance-of-love-and-death-friends](https://www.desertcart.us/products/15691173-hood-a-bittersweet-queer-romance-of-love-and-death-friends)

---

*Product available on Desertcart United States of America*
*Store origin: US*
*Last updated: 2026-02-27*