Sister Gertrude: A Tale of the West Riding

This work is the third semi-autobiographical novel by D. F. E. Sykes, a gifted scholar, solicitor, local politician, and newspaper proprietor. Skyes, in this work, draws heavily on his own life experiences like almost all of his novels. He is indeed the Edward Beaumont of the novel. An account of His solicitor's training and early political longings is presented in this work, along with his romance with a Lincolnshire vicar's daughter. However, he remains particular in what he reveals about himself and uses an incredible writing style to make the book more appealing. He gives the readers an insight into his thoughts, beliefs, desires, and the hardships he must have survived before turning his life around. This work proves to be helpful in providing a beneficial message on how a talented man can be destroyed for his beliefs and his battle, with support, to retrieve his self-esteem.