Time and Destiny (Paperback)

A story of 1920s Paris and 1970s New York - and a destiny screen that reveals the secrets of the past. Jack Devine, handsome, debonair antiques expert and New York jetsetter, is intrigued when he discovers that Yves Saint Laurent has paid a record sum at auction for a lacquer screen, 'Le Destin'. Who is this enigmatic Irish-born Eileen Gray, celebrated designer of 1920s Paris, now all but forgotten? Jack is astounded to discover that she is still alive, though in her nineties, and living a reclusive life in Paris. He determines to seek her out. Eileen's memory is awakened by Jack's probing, and she begins to relive her past, in all its glorious and painful detail - her artistic life, her passion for the modern age, her many affairs, her heartache at the hands Damia, the infamous singer. Wonderfully told, evoking the sights, sounds and characters of Paris in the roaring Twenties, Time and Destiny is an enthralling account of an extraordinary woman and time. And for Jack, as for Eileen, it is the beginning of a journey which uncovers hidden links to a past that neither could have imagined...