A San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of the Year
An O, The Oprah Magazine #1 Terrific Read
In an age of bolters—women who broke the rules and fled their
marriages—Idina Sackville was the most celebrated of them all. Her
relentless affairs, wild sex parties, and brazen flaunting of
convention shocked high society and inspired countless writers and
artists, from Nancy Mitford to Greta Garbo. But Idina’s compelling
charm masked the pain of betrayal and heartbreak.
Now Frances Osborne explores the life of Idina, her enigmatic
great-grandmother, using letters, diaries, and family legend,
following her from Edwardian London to the hills of Kenya, where
she reigned over the scandalous antics of the “Happy Valley Set.”
Dazzlingly chic yet warmly intimate, The Bolter is a fascinating
look at a woman whose energy still burns bright almost a century
later.