Book of Forbidden Words: A Novel – A Dual Timeline Historical Fiction of Three Women, an Encrypted Manuscript, and the Fight for Free Speech

Name: Book of Forbidden Words: A Novel – A Dual Timeline Historical Fiction of Three Women, an Encrypted Manuscript, and the Fight for Free Speech
Price: 2.99 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.5 (157 reviews)
Author: Louise Fein

by Louise Fein

Historical Fiction Literary Fiction

4.5 (157)

4.5 stars from 157 reviews

$2.99Deal75% off peak

Last checked: Jul 13, 2026

Price history: $11.99 – $11.99

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Fans of these books will like this...

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Perfect for you if...

You love historical fiction that connects past and present through a single artefact or mystery, like The Thirteenth Tale or The Alice Network.
You're drawn to stories centred on women fighting censorship and pushing back against oppressive systems, whether in Renaissance convents or 1950s suburbia.
You appreciate dual timelines that build tension by showing how the same stakes play out differently across centuries, revealing what endures and what changes.

Maybe not for you if...

You prefer straightforward single-timeline narratives without the complexity of weaving between historical periods.
You're looking for fast-paced thrillers where plot moves faster than character development and motivation.
You find stories about censorship and suppressed speech more depressing than compelling, and prefer escapist fiction over social commentary.

About this book

Book of Forbidden Words is a historical novel spanning 400 years across three timelines and three women. In 1552 Paris, ex-nun Lysbette Angiers arrives at Charlotte Guillard's printing shop with a manuscript containing dangerous ideas. As the printing press spreads new ideas across Europe, the church and state respond with book burning and heretic hunting. Neither woman anticipates how far the powerful will go to suppress Lysbette's work. In 1952 New York, housewife Milly Bennett struggles in her new neighborhood during McCarthy's America. When a relic from her past brings her a 400-year-old encrypted manuscript to decipher, she is drawn into a dangerous situation that threatens her world. Across centuries and continents, Milly, Lysbette, and Charlotte each confront societies where the spread of ideas is feared and suppressed. Inspired by the real-life encrypted Voynich manuscript, the novel follows these women as they resist silencing and work to let their words be heard.

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Kindle price over time. Green zones = periods when the book was free.

$11.99 – $11.99

Currently on sale at $2.99 — 75% off peak. Price has dropped 1 time over the last 13 months.

Sales Rank

Amazon sales rank: lower number = better selling book. #1 is the bestseller.

Currently around #21K in the Kindle store — a steady mid-list seller. Sales have softened 137% recently.

Rating & Reviews

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Currently 4.5★ from 157 reviews

Gaining approximately 29 new reviews per month. Steady word of mouth growth. Rating has climbed from 4.2 to 4.4. Recent readers are rating it higher.

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This book is currently discounted at $2.99. It typically returns to around $11.99.

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