At the Back of the North Wind · Character
Miss Coleman
A wealthy young woman whose idleness and grief turn her into one of North Wind's most reluctant pupils, teaching Diamond that suffering visits every house.
supporting
First appearance: xx diamond learns to read
As a supporting figure in At the Back of the North Wind, Miss Coleman is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.
Miss Coleman is brushing her hair by the drawing-room fire; Diamond briefly mistakes her for North Wind.
Miss Coleman belongs to the household above the coach-house where Diamond's family lives, a rich man's daughter with a maid, a summerhouse, and a lover away at sea. Her fault, the narrator notes, is that she never tried to find something worth doing, and her parents never set her going. When North Wind sinks her father's ship, she loses both her lover and her home, and her sorrow becomes the quiet human cost that runs alongside Diamond's own displacement.
Free preview opens at this moment — character cards, Character Web, and themes sit beside the text as you read.
Character Web
9 connectionsA slice of how Miss Coleman sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.
Relationship types
- Social
- Other
Character groups
- Nanny's caregivers
- Diamond's social circle
- Protagonist
+4 more in the full Character Web
Open in readerNarrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Rising action.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This excerpt marks the dramatic climax because it presents the emotional and psychological peak of Diamond’s i…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingRelationships
- Diamond
social · positive
Miss Coleman is a kind young woman who teaches Diamond and shows him gentle attention. How this plays out →
- Diamond
social · positive
Miss Coleman is a kind young woman who teaches Diamond and shows him gentle attention. How this plays out →
- Diamond
social · positive
Miss Coleman is a kind young woman who teaches Diamond and shows him gentle attention. How this plays out →
Relationship notes
How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.
See Miss Coleman in xx diamond learns to readIn the story
Miss Coleman appears across 5 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.
- II: The Lawn
- V: The Summerhouse
- XII: Who Met Diamond at Sandwich
- Diamond Goes On
- Diamond Takes a Fare the Wrong Way Right
Chapter companion notes
Spoil-light check-ins for Miss Coleman unlock in the free preview.
See Miss Coleman in xx diamond learns to read