Originally published in different form in 1992 by Random House as What it takes.

A romantic drama with music inspired by the days of music hall and beyond, from the author of the modern classic Kindertransport. It is 1919. The Great War is over and Poppy Wright arrives in London from the north of England to make her mark in the world. Deep in the heart of the East End she finds work in Smith's tailor and costumiers workshop, where she meets dashing chauffeur George, and falls in love. This is a time of change and opportunity, emerging from the losses of war, when all are questioning who they are and what roles they can play in forging a new, modern era. It's time to ditch the corset and discover who really wears the trousers. Poppy + George is a beguiling romance that draws on a world of female impersonators, popular song and double entendre. It was first performed at the Watford Palace Theatre in February 2016.

Shockwaves ripple through the country town of Currong when touring rock singer, Kyle, disappears after a gig in the pub. Contacted by police in regard to his estranged brother’s disappearance, freelance musician Duncan Barnett arrives. Apart from a drunken father he has no other family and Kyle’s sudden absence affects him more than he expects. By chance, single mother Poppy French meets Duncan and she is stunned. This is the man she had a brief, passionate encounter with at a wild party six years ago. This stranger is her beloved Jessie’s father, a man about whom Jessie is increasingly curious. Given Duncan’s emotional situation and unsure how he will react, should she tell him? Can she face her daughter if she doesn’t?

Poppy decides she must travel to Yorkshire to see her father, George, who is dying of cancer. She is thrown into the role of carer, but also into her own tumult. How long can her life be on hold? And what will happen when she returns home?

Poppy Sinclair is approaching fifty and mostly loves her life, teaching young children, living in her Auckland house, intimately connected to family and friends. But things have not turned out as she expected as a young feminist in the 1970s. The story of a woman coming to terms with loss and discovering life can still surprise.