The Other Side of Midnight

Rating:
Summary: The Ultimate Globe Trotting Page Turner
Review: I realize I'm blowing all credibility by admitting this, but I have always adored this book. Before he turned to penning purple prose, author Sidney Sheldon was an Academy Award winning screenwriter in the 1940's and 50's, and he not only knows how to keep a story moving, but how to milk big, melodramatic scenes and plant great twists in the plot.

Fabulous is the only word to describe this tale of lust, revenge and murder...there's even a little Nazi intrigue thrown in for good measure. Face it, most of us don't have very exciting lives, or at least they're not exciting 'round the clock. Well, not so with Sheldon's duo heroines Catherine Alexander and Noelle Page. You have the choice of identifying with either French movie star Noelle (she of the blonde hair, violet colored eyes and awe inspiring sexual technique) or spunky career gal Catherine (the sharp brunette with great legs and comebacks). Noelle is the ultimate mistress, shrewd and inscrutable, while Catherine is the ultimate wife, determined to hold her man by any means necessary.

There's always been a snag in the plot that's bothered me, though, and I've spent far too many years obsessing about it. (Do not scroll further if you haven't read the book.) Larry -- dashing, decorated pilot Larry -- meets young Noelle in WWII Paris and they have a blissful affair. When he has to ship out, he gives her money to buy a wedding dress, promising to return in a few weeks time. Needless to say, he doesn't. But if Larry had no intention of seeing Noelle again, wasn't there an easier way for him to ditch her? Raising Noelle's hopes by sending her off to buy a WEDDING DRESS makes Larry seem sadistic, when he's only supposed to be a devil-may-care type rogue. It also bugged me that when the lovers cross paths years later, Larry can't even remember luscious Noelle, or her now famous violet eyes. (The whole point about Noelle is that she's not like you or me, but unforgettable!)

Anyway, this little snafu aside, "The Other Side of Midnight" is pure, spun candy perfection. It's surprising that the 1977 movie version was so weak, because the plot is blazingly widescreen, both physically and emotionally. (The clothes, by "Mommie Dearest" costume designer Irene Sharaff, and Susan Sarandon's performance as a brisk Catherine are the best things about it.) Sarandon complained in an interview at the time that the story was only soap opera, and yet the producers were treating it as if it were Chekhov. Yes, Susie, it's soap opera...but it's the ULTIMATE soap opera, bar none! Read it and weep, then continue the spree by running to the library to check out "The Two Mrs. Grenvilles" by Dominick Dunne...

Rating:
Summary: The book is good, but the movie is BETTER
Review: I saw this movie in 1977. Catherine was played by Susan Saradon and it was one of my favorite movies. If it is out on DVD or video, I would recommend checking it out.

Rating:
Summary: Can a book get any better? 50 Stars!
Review: Who do you hate and who do you love in this book. The characters are so well developed that you can relate to everyone. The ups and downs of each person are descibed with so much emotion. And the book takes you all over the globe. The scene where Catherine is left in the depths of the cave is breathtaking.

Buy it, then read the sequel Memories of Midnight, it is just as good. Can anybody please get in touch with Sheldon - his fans are hungry for a new book.