Impressive Book: ‘Frankly’ by Nicola Sturgeon

Summarise and critique of ‘Frankly’ by Nicola Sturgeon

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Here’s a summary and critique of Frankly by Nicola Sturgeon, drawing on reviews, excerpts, and commentary. Happy to focus more on particular themes if you like (e.g. independence, gender politics, etc.).

Summary

Frankly is Sturgeon’s political memoir; it spans her life from upbringing in Ayrshire to her time as First Minister of Scotland, covering many of the key personal and political events of her career.
Financial Times
+3
Pan Macmillan
+3
The Scotsman
+3

Some of the core content:

Personal background: Her childhood, ambition, early shyness, drive to succeed, her studies.
The Scotsman
+2
Wikipedia
+2

Climbing the political ladder: Her rise in the SNP, her experiences working with Alex Salmond, her path to leadership.
The Irish Times
+2
Pan Macmillan
+2

Leadership challenges: The memoir deals in detail with several big crises:

The Covid-19 pandemic: her feelings of strain, responsibility, psychological cost, speaking in public inquiries
The Irish Times
+2
Financial Times
+2
.

The Salmond affair (her relationship with Alex Salmond, internal tensions, mentoring-turned-adversarial aspects)
The Irish Times
+2
Wikipedia
+2
.

The SNP finances police investigation, including the arrest of her then-husband, Peter Murrell, the searches at her home, how this impacted her emotionally and politically. She was cleared of wrongdoing.
The Guardian
+2
Wikipedia
+2
.

Her gender recognition / transgender rights policies and the backlash, particularly the Isla Bryson case; how she reflects on that controversy.
Wikipedia
+2
The Guardian
+2
.

Reflections on mistakes, regrets, and vulnerability: She writes openly about miscarriage; about struggling with self-doubt; about moments of burnout; about wanting to resign; about how political life exacted a personal cost.
The Independent
+2
The Scotsman
+2

On the future and identity: She discusses what it meant to be First Minister as a woman; how public expectations, media scrutiny, and the weight of representing certain causes impacted her. Also, she reflects on Scotland’s path ahead, particularly the independence issue (acknowledging some strategic mis-steps) and the difficulty of getting a second referendum.
The Guardian
+2
Financial Times
+2

Style and tone: The book combines political anecdote, personal memoir, self-critique. It aims to be candid and open. The publisher emphasises triumphs and regrets, and her motivations.
Pan Macmillan
+2
The Independent
+2

Critique

Here are strengths and weaknesses as observers have pointed out, along with some critical reflections of my own.

Strengths

Emotional honesty and vulnerability
One of the book’s strongest aspects is how Sturgeon does acknowledge her emotional life: miscarriage, breakdowns, therapy, self-doubt. That gives it depth and relatability. Reviews generally praise these more personal passages.
Wikipedia
+3
The Scotsman
+3
The Irish Times
+3

Insight into political life and leadership pressures

The memoir reveals not just what she achieved or attempted, but the internal strains of leadership — the toll of the SNP finance inquiry, the Covid inquiry, being under constant scrutiny. For those interested in what it means to lead in modern politics, especially as a woman, these are valuable reflections.
Financial Times
+1

Self-criticism and admission of mistakes

Unlike many political memoirs, Sturgeon does admit to errors: strategic ones around independence, perhaps misreading backlash on gender/self-ID issues, fatigue, etc. That lends some credibility. Reviewers noted she is “more willing than most” to acknowledge failures.
The Irish Times
+2
Wikipedia
+2

Context for her decisions

The book gives readers context: for example how decisions were shaped by the political environment, constitutional constraints, internal party dynamics. This helps in understanding why some things didn’t go as planned.
The Irish Times
+1

Weaknesses / Criticisms

Selective about what is revealed
Some critics argue that although she is candid in many parts, there are significant omissions or vague treatment of controversial topics. For example, the finance investigation has legal constraints, but some feel the account skirts around details. Similarly, some policy failures (e.g. in education, drugs policy) are acknowledged only in passing without deep analysis.
Financial Times
+2
The Scotsman
+2

Tone of self-justification / vanity

Despite her aim of avoiding “vanity and self-justification” (as she states in the preface), several reviews suggest the memoir still has strong elements of both. That is, framing that seeks to justify actions, shape legacy, and present choice moments in a way sympathetic to her. Some feel the balance between self-reflection and image management is uneven.
The Independent
+2
democratonline.net
+2

Less about policy substance in places

While there is a lot about the political life and decisions, some reviewers note there’s less about detail of outcomes of many policies: the actual effectiveness, lessons learned, or deep evaluations of what worked or didn’t. So readers might leave with more understanding of the person than of the political legacy.
Jacobin
+1

Emphasis on personal passage over national scope sometimes

Some critiques suggest that, while the memoir covers many national issues, its focus is often more inward-looking: Sturgeon’s feelings, her struggles, more than a sweeping account of Scotland’s changing landscape under her leadership. For readers wanting broader structural analysis (economic, social, regional differences in Scotland, etc.), it may disappoint.
Jacobin
+1

Regrets expressed may seem late or qualified

In cases such as the gender/self-ID controversy, some reviews think her regrets (e.g. wishing she had “paused”) come late, and perhaps are under-specified. Some critics say the response to backlash is more reactive than proactive.
Financial Times
+1

My Reflections

Writing a memoir after a long and high-profile career always involves balancing truth, legacy, and self-image. Sturgeon largely succeeds in giving a sense of who she is, beyond the public persona.

The emotional cost of leadership is well conveyed; often memoirs gloss over mental strain, but here that appears central.

However, in trying to be personal and honest, some of the broader political analysis (e.g. what she might have done differently, how Scotland might move forward) feels underdeveloped. Given her long tenure, readers may want more detailed reflections on what policy strategies she thinks failed, which ones succeeded, and why.

Overall Assessment

Frankly is a significant, worthwhile read, especially for those interested in Scottish politics, gender and leadership, or the personal costs of public life. It doesn’t totally satisfy all demands — for example, comprehensive policy critique or full transparency on all controversies — but it is richer and more emotionally open than many political memoirs, and adds important voices and perspectives.

If one were to ascribe a rating (informally), I’d say it’s strong on personality, narrative, honesty; moderate on policy detail and critical self-distance.