The Bolter

She may not have been drop-dead gorgeous, but the blue-blooded Idina Sackville — who scandalized Edwardian England with her antics — had five husbands, countless beaux, and a black Pekingese named Satan. Her life story, speckled with the names of the rich and famous, is a miniature history lesson, bringing into sharp focus both world wars, the Jazz Age, and the colonization of Kenya. Years ago, novelist Nancy Mitford based a famous character on her. Now, thanks to Frances Osborne, her great-granddaughter, Sackville’s passion lights up the page once again. A?