Will I love The Bolter?

I loved this book because it is a story that reclaims the tattered image of a bold and brave woman, Idina Sackville, as re-told by her great-granddaughter, Frances Osborne.

The Bolter tells a complete tale of a determined woman unwilling to be tamed by high-society rules but rather singularly interested in pursuing her own interests in love, passion, and life. Taylor Swift fans believe that her song, “The Bolter” from her album, The Tortured Poets Department, is directly inspired by Idina Sackville.

I read until the end because I was dying to know what became of Idina and how… show more.

I love a good scandal, and Idina Sackville’s life had enough for several films. She married five times, inspired Nancy Mitford’s most glamorous characters, and caused a stir in both London high society and Kenya’s notorious Happy Valley set.

Her wild lifestyle, though, had dark consequences when her ex-husband, Josslyn Hay, was murdered in 1941 in a case that shocked colonial Kenya and became the subject of White Mischief (1987). Frances Osborne (Idina’s great-granddaughter) goes beyond the gossip, showing us the heartbreak, resilience, and sheer audacity of Idina’s life.

A film would contrast the dazzling excess of 1920s London with… show more.

The Bolter is uniquely sad yet weirdly comforting. Set primarily in the 1930s, it’s a story about a brazen woman named Idina who is shamelessly bold and ahead of her time. With her unladylike behavior, she shocked the upper class when she balked at their traditions and forged her own path. Fascinating and page-turning, Idina lived as if she was a woman of the present day. 

Frances Osborne did an incredible job of digging out the details to tell this gossipy story.