{The Bolter}

On the wishlist: The Bolter by Frances Osborne

From Bas Bleu: In 1919, Idina Sackville—the cousin, incidentally, of writer Vita Sackville-West—left England for Africa, completely abandoning her wealthy husband and two small sons, and scandalizing Edwardian high society. In investigating Sackville’s shocking behavior, her great granddaughter Frances Osborne uncovers enough gasp-worthy intrigue and international adventure to send even present-day imaginations reeling. This biography—which spans two world wars and encompasses both London’s most glittering social circles and Africa’s reckless expatriate upper-class—sometimes reads like a racy society novel. Indeed, Sackville was the inspiration for at least two such books. When all is told, Sackville’s feverish escapades become easier to understand. The reader is left with a portrait of an indomitable woman who simply never stopped fighting for a life she could call her own.