Miss Stein’s Cook

The story of two sisters who become separated in a tragedy

A fabulous historical novel about a crime that separates two sisters, and about love that sets one human to serve another.

In Parainen, near the archipelago in Southern Finland, the stint two sisters have as helpers in a mansion ends in terrible bloodshed.

Twenty years later in Paris, the world-famous Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas hire a cook for their two-woman household – Margit, one of the two sisters whose lives were transformed by the tragedy in Parainen. The roles of the cook and the servant define both Margit and Alice, who is Stein’s lover, editor, muse, and typewriter.

A special trust and tension is born between the women. But Margit’s dark secret leaves none of them alone.


Little Brother’s Marvellous Expedition

The Countess and her Little Brother are about to embark on a big expedition into the rainforest in their back garden on a quest to track down the mythical Bogeyeribbon anaconda, a terribly dangerous giant snake. Equipped with harpoons and binoculars, the intrepid duo are ready for the jungle, where they encounter bloodthirsty swamp leopards, croaking frogs, goat traps and all sorts of other incredible things. The siblings are helped on their way by Little Brother’s matchbox-sized monkey, and a granny who lives in a house on stilts.

A skilfully-told humorous adventure story about siblinghood and adventures in one’s own back garden.


Decent Ingredients

In 1956, Helsinki housewife Saara befriends her upstairs neighbor Elisabeth, who throws parties for artists, lives to eat and corresponds with faraway friends. As they get to know each other, Saara learns that Elisabeth is everything Saara is not: fashionable, independent, a citizen of the world. And a spy.

With echoes of Virginia Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway  and Linn Ullmann’s domestic portrayals, Decent Ingredients is a story about the bourgeoisie of Helsinki during the Cold War; about forbidden love, dangerous secrets and, about food, which reflects life, love, class, sexuality and politics throughout this richly-detailed and atmospheric novel by the award-winning Parkkinen.


Rights sold:

Original publisher: FINLAND, Teos
ITALY, Aspasia/Sovera Edizioni


Leena Parkkinen

Leena Parkkinen has authored three prize-winning adults’ novels set in 20th century Europe, often about people living at the margins society. Her skillful use of detail is often imbued with an element of suspense. She has also written two children’s story books.

Parkkinen has received numerous literary awards, such as Helsingin Sanomat Literature Prize for the best debut (2009), Academic Bookshop’s Bestselling Debut Prize (2009), Laila Hirvisaari Award (2010) and the Kalevi Jäntti Prize (2013), in addition to being nominated for the Tulenkantaja Export Prize 2017. Her works have been translated into seven languages to date.