Seven sisters. Haunted house. Birds. Anyone know it?

October 14, 2008 5:54 PM

Another mostly forgotten book recollection begging to be brought into the light.

A friend of mine (not on Metafilter) has mentioned a book she enjoyed years ago but has long forgotten the author and title; if AskMe can help me identify it based on what little I know of it, it might make my Christmas shopping that much easier and make her happy...

Seven sisters live in a haunted house. Only one can take human form at a time; the other six are stuck in the form of birds (perhaps swans).

That's it. Apart from that, I know it is a novel, published at least twenty years ago. Not a lot to go on, but last time I did this, I had an answer in twenty minutes.

Anybody?

posted by ricochet biscuit to Media & Arts (5 answers total)

Well, whatever book it was, it was likely based on the Swan Maidens.
posted by turgid dahlia at 5:58 PM on October 14, 2008

Or err, the Six Swans.
posted by turgid dahlia at 5:59 PM on October 14, 2008

Was it a childrens' book? If so, possibly "The Wicked, Wicked Ladies in the Haunted House", which apparently previously went by the title "The Wicked Pigeon Ladies in the Garden".

I don't know anything about this book; I just found it by googling seven sisters haunted house birds.
posted by Flunkie at 6:02 PM on October 14, 2008

Response by poster: turgid dahlia: I thought about the Grimm's connection, and I recall that story myself, but this seems to have been a full-fledged novel.

Flunkie: My own search turned it up as well, but based on the four pages or so available there, it doesn't seem like the right one. I could be wrong, of course.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 6:16 PM on October 14, 2008

I agree with Flunkie. It's sounds just like the Wicked Wicked Ladies. It's an awesome book. Don't be turned off by the fact that it's a children's book, it's a great read.
posted by cosmicbandito at 6:49 PM on October 14, 2008