Hope of Heaven

Hope of Heaven, first published in 1938, is a fast-paced novel by John O’Hara in the “doomed romance” genre. The novel centers on a world-weary Hollywood screenwriter of only limited success in his mid-thirties who is in love with an idealistic young woman in her twenties who is only mildly interested in him. When her father, a private detective, comes to Los Angeles on a case in which the screenwriter has a part, tragedy ensues. John O’Hara (1905-1970) was the author of many novels and short stories and is best known for his first two novels – Appointment in Samarra and Butterfield 8.