The Diamond Girls

"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.

Characters

The diamond girls is a book about four sisters and their heavily pregnant mother moving to their house of dreams. When they get there they find out all is not what it seems.

ue 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.

The characters listed below are the main characters and the daughters of Sue Diamond:

Martine

Martine is the oldest of the Diamond girls, aged sixteen. Her mother met her father Dave in Year Ten and when Dave 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.

Jude

Jude is the next oldest, aged fourteen. Her father, Dean, 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.

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.

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.Dixie feels a special bond with Sundance.

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'.

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.

Tony

tony lives next to the diamonds.he is Martine's ex-boyfriend. He got her pregnant two days 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.

Mary's Mother

Mary's mother abused Mary 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, slapped 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.

Mary

Mary is Dixie's next door neighbour, who lives in one of the more posher houses. In the book, she was abused by her mother, but was led to believe that she was the bad one. Dixie witnessed some of the abuse herself [she saw that Mary's nails had been completely cut off, and even saw Mary's mum forcing crusts down her throat] , but when she confronted Mary, she just said that her mum was 'The loveliest, kindest mummy ever'. At the end of the book, she jumps out of her bedroom window after Dixie had joked that she would be able to fly. Luckily, Dixie catches her and takes the full force of her weight, but ends up with broken legs. Mary's mother ends up in hospital because of the abuse. Mary was sent to live with her aunt and uncle

The book deals with the issues of neglect, teenage pregnancy, motherhood and child abuse.

PlotIt is a story set with a Family of four (later five), the diamonds. Sue is the mother and she has four (later five) girls. The focus is mainly on Dixie, seeing things from her point of view. Her sisters are, Jude, Rochelle, Martine and (later) Sundance. They have lived in a variety of council flats and they all have different Dad's. They were living in their best flat yet, but then Sue, who says says she can read tarot cards and prdict the future, thinks that something good will happen when they move. She decides behind the girls' backs to find a new house, and lands with a council house in the planet estate. It looked nice from the pictures she saw, but when they arrive, they find quite the oppisite. The house is a dump, and Jude's fighting, Rochelle's flirting and Martine is whinging down the line of her moby to boyfriend Tony, who she had to leave behind. Then Sue, heavily pregnant, is rushed to hospital and deliveres over night. The only person to care for the girls is Bruce, a mate of Dixie's Dad, who just promised to give them a lift. He ends up being their personal babysitter and even lets them call him Uncle. It is very hard for the girls and there are lots of dramas, including the little spotless girl-next-door, Mary. She is devoted to her Mother, even though she is treated like a slave by her. She swears it's her being bad and that she's got a lovely mummy, but Dixie knows the truth. It is a slice of real life that is heart warming.