The Other Side of Midnight

The Other Side of Midnight

First edition
Author	Sidney Sheldon
Language	English
Genre	Thriller
Publisher	William Morrow
Publication date	1973
Media type	Print (Paperback)
Pages	598
ISBN
OCLC	22474536
Followed by	Memories of Midnight

The Other Side of Midnight is a novel by American writer Sidney Sheldon published in 1973. The book reached No.1 on the New York Times Best Seller list. It was made into a 1977 motion picture of the same name, directed by Charles Jarrott. The cast included Marie-France Pisier, John Beck, Susan Sarandon, Christian Marquand and Josette Banzet. It was remade in India as the Hindi film Oh Bewafa (1980). In 1990, Sheldon released a sequel titled Memories of Midnight. It was adapted into a 1991 television mini-series starring Jane Seymour as Catherine Alexander. In Japan, it was adapted and broadcast as a radio drama, with a soundtrack by Yoko Kanno and Maaya Sakamoto.

The story focuses on the lives of Catherine Alexander and Noelle Page, and takes place before, during, and after World War II.

Noelle is an extremely beautiful girl born to a poor family living in the fishing district of Marseille, France. Because of her beauty, her father constantly calls her a princess and she grows up believing that a prince will take her away. After Noelle comes of age, her father decides to capitalize on her looks by arranging her to become the mistress of Auguste Lanchon, a wealthy boutique owner. Noelle is horrified when she finds out their deal, and is forced to have sex with Lanchon. During the intercourse, she realizes that men may rule the world, but if she can control men, she can be just as powerful. She manipulates Lanchon to give her a sum of money, and then escapes to Paris. There, she is swept off her feet by American RAF pilot Lawrence "Larry" Douglas, who proposes to her before leaving for another mission, promising to marry her when he returns. However, when he doesn't return, she finds out that he has forgotten about her and is with other women, she nearly dies of pneumonia, but is saved by a Jewish medical intern named Israel Katz, who takes pity on her and gives her money and a job in his aunt's modelling agency.