<p>Edmund Yates' 'The Rock Ahead' is a Victorian narrative weaving the tale of Gertrude Lloyd, a protagonist who defies the societal expectations of her time. Gertrude's tenacity leads her to fame as an opera singer, an unfathomable decision after her separation from a sinister husband. Yates' prose captures the intrinsic resilience and complexity of his leading lady, paralleling the societal transformations of the era. The literary style, rooted...