The Bolter, The Story of Idina Sackville, who ran away to become the chief seductress of Kenya’s scandalous “Happy Valley set,” by Frances Osborne is a book written by “The Bolter’s” great-grandaughter. Osborne never knew the story growing up, as her mother told her ” you dont want to be known as the Bolter’s gandaughter.”

Lady Idina Sackville, with little black dog Satan by her side, cigarette in hand, and wearing only the most fashionable clothes, created quite a stir in high society London of the 20’s and 30’s. The book traces her life and her decision to leave her two young boys behind and run off to Kenya with a new lover. She married 5 times, had inumberable lovers, wild parties, and defied all convention at the time. Although she was her own woman, she was often defined by the man she was with, and in the end, was quite lonely.

A fascinating read.