The Diamond Girls
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Diamond Girls is a children's novel by Jacqueline Wilson, the main protagonist and narrator is Dixie Diamond, the (current) youngest in a family of four sisters, all from different fathers. Their mother, who is now expecting another child, which she believes to be a boy, decides to move them from their home in a flat on a council estate to a larger council house. However, when Dixie moves towards changing her new "brother's" nappy, she realises he's a girl, and that her mother has been pretending out of her longing for a boy. Dixie tries to comprehend the actions of her family whilst hiding the secret of their new neighbour, Mary, who is abused by her apparently depressed mother. Dixie's sisters are Martine, Jude, and Rochelle.
Contents |
[edit] Characters
The diamond girls is a book about four sisters and their heavily pregnant mother moving to their house of dreams. When they get their they find out now all is what it seems.The characters listed below are the main characters and the daughters of Sue Diamond:
[edit] Sue Diamond
Sue is the mother of the four (later five) Diamond girls. She is apparently quite promiscuous and at their original estate, Bletchworth, was referred to as a slag. All of her children have different fathers, and Sue probably has forgotten the name of Sundance's father, or as Rochelle observes, 'maybe she didn't even know it in the first place'. Her disreputable behaviour notwithstanding, she genuinely loves her daughters and does have some reasonable excuses, such as death or abuse, for parting with her previous partners.
[edit] Bruce
Bruce is a working companion of Terry, and at first keeps asserting that he is 'not Terry's mate'. Bruce is described as having a bad haircut, glasses and a sweet but goofy smile. He treats Dixie like a daughter and she in return adores him. Bruce damages his already bad back halfway through the book and has to stay at the Diamond residence lying on a mattress. It is suggested he and Sue might begin a romantic relationship. Dixie calls him 'Uncle Bruce'.
[edit] Terry
Terry is an embalmer and is Dixie's father, who got her mother Sue pregnant while she was arranging her late husband Jordan's funeral. Terry has another family with a wife called Stella and three little girls. He does not really ever talk to Dixie or contact her; however at the end of the book he visits Dixie in hospital and says he wants to introduce her to her half-sisters.
[edit] Tony
Tony is Martine's ex-boyfriend. He got her pregnant the night before the Diamond family left for the Planet Estate. When Martine briefly leaves the house and the family to go back to Bletchworth, she stays with him, but eventually breaks it off and comes back.
[edit] Mary's mother
Mary's mother abused her because of a long post-natal depression, according to her husband.She forced Mary to eat crusts by stuffing them down her throat,cut her nails back to the quick,slapping her for befriending Dixie, and threatened to slit her throat after telling a friend about her nails.She ends up in hospital because of her mental state at the end of the book.
[edit] Martine
Martine is the oldest of the Diamond girls, aged sixteen. Her mother met her father Dean in Year Ten and when Dean got Sue pregnant, he tried to stick by her, but could not as he was still very young. At first, she is reluctant to leave because of being away from her boyfriend, Tony. However, after her sister Sundance is born, she decides to stay. At the end of the book it turns out she is pregnant.
[edit] Jude
Jude is the next oldest, aged fourteen. Her father was abusive towards Sue, and even though she states that 'he could make my heart flutter' she had to leave him. She is Dixie's favourite sister, and a tomboy. She gets into fights with a gang (including Rochelle's boyfriend), but gets on well with a large boy who, according to Dixie, has rude phrases on his jacket.
[edit] Rochelle
Rochelle is 12, and is a major girly-girl and flirt. She has long blonde curls, a heart-shaped face, pouty lips and according to Dixie watches herself in the mirror all the time. She soon gets a boyfriend in a member of the gang Jude fights with. Her father was the aspiring musician Jordan who died of a drug overdose when she was two years old. Her mother Sue met Dixie's father Terry while arranging Jordan's funeral.
[edit] Dixie
Dixie is the youngest of the Diamond girls, probably around ten or eleven. She is small and skinny and was born prematurely. Her father is an embalmer called Terry, who got her mother Sue pregnant while she was arranging her late husband Jordan's funeral. Terry has another family with a wife called Stella and three young daughters. He rarely talks to Dixie or contacts her; however at the end of the book he visits Dixie in hospital and says he wants to introduce her to her half-sisters. Dixie has a stuffed budgie called Bluebell, who she keeps up her cardigan sleeve. She befriends six-year old Mary, who is abused by her mother, who is apparently suffering from depression. Dixie breaks both legs after catching Mary when she jumps out of a window.
The book deals with the issues of neglect, teenage pregnancy, motherhood and child abuse.
