Fiction

The Frequency of Us

The Frequency of Us

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-09-11 00:17:38
  • Update Date：2025-09-24
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Keith Stuart
  • ISBN：0751572950
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

*** A BBC2 BETWEEN THE COVERS BOOK CLUB PICK ***
*** BBC RADIO 4 BOOK AT BEDTIME ***

'A fascinating， beautiful， heartwarming novel。 It kept me gripped from the very first chapter' -- BETH O'LEARY

In Second World War Bath， young， naïve wireless engineer Will meets Austrian refugee Elsa Klein: she is sophisticated， witty and worldly， and at last his life seems to make sense 。 。 。 until， soon after， the newly married couple's home is bombed， and Will awakes from the wreckage to find himself alone。

No one has heard of Elsa Klein。 They say he was never married。

Seventy years later， social worker Laura is battling her way out of depression and off medication。 Her new case is a strange， isolated old man whose house hasn't changed since the war。 A man who insists his wife vanished many， many years before。 Everyone thinks he's suffering dementia。 But Laura begins to suspect otherwise 。 。 。

From Keith Stuart， author of the much-loved Richard & Judy bestseller A Boy Made of Blocks， comes a stunning， emotional novel about an impossible mystery and a true love that refuses to die。

'Enthralling， a real thing of beauty。 Dazzling' -- JOSIE SILVER

'The Frequency of Us is a novel with a bit of everything: a sweeping love story， wonderfully complex characters， and a sprinkling of the supernatural。 I loved it， and know it'll stay with me for some time' -- CLARE POOLEY

'A complete joy！ An intelligent， intricate and emotive mystery' -- LOUISE JENSON

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Reviews

Helen ，

Very clever idea and very well concluded even though a few links were not quite tidied up。

Sarah ，

Loved， loved this。 Possibly the best book I have read this year。 Kudos to the person who chose it for my book group。 I loved the mystery of the whole story and I just couldn't put it down。 Loved， loved this。 Possibly the best book I have read this year。 Kudos to the person who chose it for my book group。 I loved the mystery of the whole story and I just couldn't put it down。 。。。more

Leigh Drury ，

I've read books by this author before and have really enjoyed them。。。 I wasn't too sure how I felt about this one。 I think I enjoyed it！！！ It's certainly unusual because there's an element of sci-fi to it that I wasn't really expecting。 The dual timeline story is based in the present day， with a young girl called upon to act as a carer to an old man， living alone。 Then we go back to the time of WWII and find the same man in love with a young lady。 But there appears to be no records of her in the I've read books by this author before and have really enjoyed them。。。 I wasn't too sure how I felt about this one。 I think I enjoyed it！！！ It's certainly unusual because there's an element of sci-fi to it that I wasn't really expecting。 The dual timeline story is based in the present day， with a young girl called upon to act as a carer to an old man， living alone。 Then we go back to the time of WWII and find the same man in love with a young lady。 But there appears to be no records of her in the current timeline， so people assume the chap has dementia。 But the carer begins to suspect more and believes him， despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary。 I enjoyed the storyline set in the past， it was very evocative。 I also enjoyed that the carer has demons of her own， and some mental health issues - all too often a subject not tackled in books of this nature。 It works。。。 until the denouement does call you to suspend your disbelief， and I was too invested at that point to find it easy to do。 Still - an interesting read。。。 just expect it to get a bit bumpy towards the end！ 。。。more

Francesca Rosado ，

I really loved this。。。until the explanation/twist at the end， and now I'm unsure haha！ It was brilliantly written， so creepy at parts that I had to stop reading before bed。 I loved all the characters， the jumping timelines were excellent， I'm just not sure how I feel about the ending- it was wonderfully tied up， but I'll need to think about whether I think it was a bit of a cop out or really clever。 I really loved this。。。until the explanation/twist at the end， and now I'm unsure haha！ It was brilliantly written， so creepy at parts that I had to stop reading before bed。 I loved all the characters， the jumping timelines were excellent， I'm just not sure how I feel about the ending- it was wonderfully tied up， but I'll need to think about whether I think it was a bit of a cop out or really clever。 。。。more

Paul Beattie ，

I can't write down what this book made me feel， but it did make me feel。 I can't write down what this book made me feel， but it did make me feel。 。。。more

Kate Lock ，

I loved this book。 I didn’t know what to make of it for ages。 Was it sci-Fi， was it about mental illness？ But by the end I loved it。 When I described it to my husband it sounded a bit twee and neat， but it felt beautiful as I read it。

Linden ，

Liked the WWII parts， but I wasn't totally on board with the multiverse stuff。 And the ending failed to tie up an important plot point。 Liked the WWII parts， but I wasn't totally on board with the multiverse stuff。 And the ending failed to tie up an important plot point。 。。。more

Ruby Naldrett ，

In Bath during the Second World War， Will meets the beautiful Elsa - a jewish woman who has fled Austria。 A few years later and newly married， Will and I Elsa’s home is destroyed during the Blitz and when Will returns home from the hospital there’s no sign of Elsa。 Nobody has even heard of Elsa - it’s as though she didn’t exist。70 years later， Laura is hired as a carer for an elderly man with suspected dementia。 He keeps going on about his wife who vanished years ago， but according to records he In Bath during the Second World War， Will meets the beautiful Elsa - a jewish woman who has fled Austria。 A few years later and newly married， Will and I Elsa’s home is destroyed during the Blitz and when Will returns home from the hospital there’s no sign of Elsa。 Nobody has even heard of Elsa - it’s as though she didn’t exist。70 years later， Laura is hired as a carer for an elderly man with suspected dementia。 He keeps going on about his wife who vanished years ago， but according to records he was never married。 Everyone thinks he’s mad… except Laura。Ok so this book is just SO good， I sat down to read a couple of chapters and ended up completely devouring it。 It’s set between two timelines and you can’t not fall in love with all of the characters。 It’s so beautifully written， heartbreaking but also uplifting。 I don’t want to give anything else away because it’s one of those books that truly has the ability to blow you away。 。。。more

Steffanie ，

This is an amazing book！ My attention was held captive till the very end of the dual story。Well done！

Andi Jones ，

I did like this story， but felt it took an age to get going。 The relationships between the characters was lovely to read， I just felt like the start was long winded and the end was too rushed！

Quyen Vu ，

Cách kể chuyện quá dài dòng。 Hầu như chỉ skim 100 trang cuối để biết kết chuyện và đặt sách xuống。

Mareli Thalwitzer ，

This is no ordinary book to just give a reader's interpretation on without spoiling the story。What I can say - if you like time-travel， but not time-travel， perhaps rather multi-universe and time gaps - this is the book for you。 If you don't like any of those， but just love a good old fashioned love story that literally stood the test of time， this is the book for you。 And if that still doesn't tickle your interest but you just love books that are written so profoundly beautiful， this is the boo This is no ordinary book to just give a reader's interpretation on without spoiling the story。What I can say - if you like time-travel， but not time-travel， perhaps rather multi-universe and time gaps - this is the book for you。 If you don't like any of those， but just love a good old fashioned love story that literally stood the test of time， this is the book for you。 And if that still doesn't tickle your interest but you just love books that are written so profoundly beautiful， this is the book for you。 。。。more

Ana ，

4。5⭐️ would've been a 5 star read for me if not for the rushed ending。 4。5⭐️ would've been a 5 star read for me if not for the rushed ending。 。。。more

Linda Coyle ，

I loved a Boy Made of Blocks but the Frequency of Us didn’t measure up for me。 It was nice， with a good premise and characters but it just fell a bit flat。 I can’t put my finger on it， but I just didn’t get invested。 A love story that began in the bombing of Bath， an elderly man with unreliable memories and a troubled girl who becomes his carer in a house falling to rack and ruin but filled with memories and something strange and otherworldly。 Part ghost story， part love story， part mystery。 Ent I loved a Boy Made of Blocks but the Frequency of Us didn’t measure up for me。 It was nice， with a good premise and characters but it just fell a bit flat。 I can’t put my finger on it， but I just didn’t get invested。 A love story that began in the bombing of Bath， an elderly man with unreliable memories and a troubled girl who becomes his carer in a house falling to rack and ruin but filled with memories and something strange and otherworldly。 Part ghost story， part love story， part mystery。 Entertaining， nice but not amazing。 。。。more

Paul ，

Great story disappointed with ending those

Lynn B ，

I loved A Boy Made of Blocks， but this is not really in the same league。I took some time to get into this one。 The story begins with Will having rejected any help from Social Services and their suspicions that he has dementia。 Until Laura arrives and he invites her in。 We then flash back and forth from 2008 to the war years and the life he remembers but no one else can verify。 The dual time line was well laid out but I just didn't feel any connection with the two main characters of Will and Laur I loved A Boy Made of Blocks， but this is not really in the same league。I took some time to get into this one。 The story begins with Will having rejected any help from Social Services and their suspicions that he has dementia。 Until Laura arrives and he invites her in。 We then flash back and forth from 2008 to the war years and the life he remembers but no one else can verify。 The dual time line was well laid out but I just didn't feel any connection with the two main characters of Will and Laura。 Having said that I was so intrigued that I did read to the end。Laura has her own demons and the description of her emotions and feelings was so well written and sensitive。 Yet， I could not connect with her。 I had a hunch of what was happening in the book and it did play out the way I thought it would， until the very end。 I found it strange that a totally new character is introduced and the storyline takes a swerve that was not in my opinion necessary。 。。。more

Caroline Evans ，

Delicate， intricate， intriguing。 This novel has movie written all over it。 It’s a beautiful story about relationships， set in the historical Roman city of Bath。 There are some twists you see coming， some you don’t。 It’s a lovely book， an easy read and highly recommended。

Melissa Gargan ，

Loved this book， and， （unlike many others）， I felt the time switch worked really well。 The characters were engaging， the story thought provoking and 5r imagery of Bath， music and art during the blitz was enthralling。 I have to agree with other reviews that the end felt a little clumsy and the introduction of an additional character at that late stage unnecessary （and it was inconceivable that they would not have met sooner）。 That said， I didn’t feel this justified the deduction of a star for me Loved this book， and， （unlike many others）， I felt the time switch worked really well。 The characters were engaging， the story thought provoking and 5r imagery of Bath， music and art during the blitz was enthralling。 I have to agree with other reviews that the end felt a little clumsy and the introduction of an additional character at that late stage unnecessary （and it was inconceivable that they would not have met sooner）。 That said， I didn’t feel this justified the deduction of a star for me as it had me hooked from beginning to end。 。。。more

Cheryl Houghton ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Gripped from start to finish。 I couldn’t decide at first if this was a ghost story， a romance or a tome on mental health and dementia。 The multiverse angle that came in towards the end turned it all completely on its head for me but I liked it。 Very interesting read。

Natalie Jackman ，

Beautiful， breathtaking， emotional， hopeful。 This will stick with me forever。

Kayleigh Tully ，

I really struggled about half way through with this book， the synopsis and beginning had me hooked in; “It’s the Second World War， Will lives in Bath with his wife？ They’re home is bombed， Will wakes up in the hospital frantic that he doesn’t know where his wife is， everyone tells him he doesn’t have a wife， he lives alone and always has！ Dun dun dun！ We skip to modern day where Will is an old man who never found love again but everyone thinks he’s crazy， enter young care worker with a traumatic I really struggled about half way through with this book， the synopsis and beginning had me hooked in; “It’s the Second World War， Will lives in Bath with his wife？ They’re home is bombed， Will wakes up in the hospital frantic that he doesn’t know where his wife is， everyone tells him he doesn’t have a wife， he lives alone and always has！ Dun dun dun！ We skip to modern day where Will is an old man who never found love again but everyone thinks he’s crazy， enter young care worker with a traumatic past of her own to try and crack the case” all good set up just really lulled in the middle， the twist in the tale was a surprise and probably rescued the story for me as this heading for a 2 star rating max！ 。。。more

Wendy Rose ，

Keith Stuart - The frequency of us - 69 - 12 6 22All the way through I loved it。 Great writing， intriguing plot。 Trying figure it out。 All till the very end and the final bits just didn't hang together for me。 All that promise and the ending was such a disappointment。 Will Emerson is a reclusive old man and Laura is a health worker who has been sent to assess his ability to continue living on his own。 The story tips between then and now。 Then tells the story of young Will and how he met his wife Keith Stuart - The frequency of us - 69 - 12 6 22All the way through I loved it。 Great writing， intriguing plot。 Trying figure it out。 All till the very end and the final bits just didn't hang together for me。 All that promise and the ending was such a disappointment。 Will Emerson is a reclusive old man and Laura is a health worker who has been sent to assess his ability to continue living on his own。 The story tips between then and now。 Then tells the story of young Will and how he met his wife Elsa and how happy they were until the night in the blitz when their house was bombed and when Will wakes up from his injuries there is no trace of Elsa; the world is telling him she never existed。 So old Will has battled all his life with thinking he is mad and Laura who has mental health problems of her own tries to figure out if there was any reality or just a madman's imaginings。 I will try one of his others just to see。 。。。more

Vanessa ，

The Frequency of Us by Keith Stuart Narrated by: Katy Sobey， Elliot Chapman was a beautifully written love story that spans a lifetime and the love that two people have that can never be forgotten or lost。 This book is based in WW2 in 1942， in Bath， a young， naïve wireless engineer called Will meets German refugee called Elsa Klein: who is she very sophisticated， witty and worldly， Finally， at last Will's life seems to make sense。 They both soon fall in love and get married。 Sadly their new mari The Frequency of Us by Keith Stuart Narrated by: Katy Sobey， Elliot Chapman was a beautifully written love story that spans a lifetime and the love that two people have that can never be forgotten or lost。 This book is based in WW2 in 1942， in Bath， a young， naïve wireless engineer called Will meets German refugee called Elsa Klein: who is she very sophisticated， witty and worldly， Finally， at last Will's life seems to make sense。 They both soon fall in love and get married。 Sadly their new marital home is bombed， Will awakes from the wreckage injured to find himself alone。 No Elsa by his side。 Where is she？Strangely No one has heard of Elsa Klein。 People who know Will say he has never been married！ He has never been with anyone！ He has always been on his own！Many Years passed Still no Elsa。 But she is still in Will's heart and thinks of her every day。 Seventy years now he is alone on this world and he meets Laura who is a social worker and is battling her way out of depression and anxiety and is off her medication。 She has a new case and its for a strange， isolated old lonely man whose house hasn't changed since the war。 He sits there waiting for his wife to come back to him and he still insists his wife vanished many， many years before， when he was an handsome young man。 Everyone thinks he know say's he's suffering dementia。 But， he is？ Laura begins to suspect otherwise and starts to get to know Will。This audiobook was excellent and I loved it！ The narrator was 5 stars and read it beautifully and I loved it。 All of Keith's books I have read or listened to have been a 5 star read/reviewBig Thank you to NetGalley， Little Brown Book Group UK and the author Keith Stuart for my ARC of The Frequency Of Us in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Layla ，

it was slow at first but i did not realise the plot twist at all。

Jane ，

Taken on one level， this novel is a light enjoyable read with an interesting twist。 And for anyone seeking a bit of gentle escapism and romance it would satisfy that remit。 I think the problem I had with it， was I was expecting more。 The reviews I had seen had suggested a work of literary merit which to my mind it was not。 The plot tackles some really big ideas， but there is something lacking in the approach。 Partly I think this was down to hesitant editing。 The book was overlong and the climax Taken on one level， this novel is a light enjoyable read with an interesting twist。 And for anyone seeking a bit of gentle escapism and romance it would satisfy that remit。 I think the problem I had with it， was I was expecting more。 The reviews I had seen had suggested a work of literary merit which to my mind it was not。 The plot tackles some really big ideas， but there is something lacking in the approach。 Partly I think this was down to hesitant editing。 The book was overlong and the climax too drawn out。 There were， as I start to reflect back， a lot of loose ends。 And the story also has too many elements of implausibility。 I have experience of working within adult social care and knowledge of The Care Act which jarred with the whole crux of the story。 Namely that someone with no training or experience such as Laura （employed as a support worker not a social worker as the blurb on the book jacket said） would be given sole responsibility for assessing an elderly man's mental capacity alongside his care and support needs and then being tasked to submit a report to Adult Social Services that they would accept and act upon without question。 It's clear that the a huge amount of historical and theoretical research has gone into developing the story。 But I am not sure if we needed everything， it all began to feel a bit cluttered after a while。 I was also concerned about several references to the use of social media and mobile technology in 2007 which just didn't ring true。 Alongside this backdrop， I can see that the author was also trying to explore the theme of mental health though the Laura， Will and her father。 But I think this proved to be at the expense of character development。 I found Laura exasperating， Will inconsistent and Michael rather insubstantial。 All that being said I have no doubt we will be seeing more from this author in future。 。。。more

JenniferB ，

Some good points， e。g。 main characters of Elsa and Will， but really too long and mixes a lot of genres - Sciene Fiction， Psychological Mystery， Romance， History，WWII， social work。I don't want to read any more books by this author。 Some good points， e。g。 main characters of Elsa and Will， but really too long and mixes a lot of genres - Sciene Fiction， Psychological Mystery， Romance， History，WWII， social work。I don't want to read any more books by this author。 。。。more

Jo ，

Beautiful and uplifting。

Elizabeth Kaye ，

Really enjoyable and a bit different！

Vanessa Menezes ，

Mixed feelings about this one！ Initially it took me long to actually get into the plot but later on I just loved it。 The dual timeline is what got me hooked into because I was constantly trying to guess how is it all going to tie up at the end。Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC！！！

Justin Berry ，

Probably 4。5 but a very intriguing and interesting book that kept me enthralled until the very last word。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Frequency of Us

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Frequency of Us&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Frequency of Us&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0