The magic strings of Frankie Presto by Mitch Albom is absolutely magical. From the personification of music to the crazy epic life story of Frankie Presto, the writing and plot of the story are lyrical and beautiful. The nuances used by Mitch Albom in this book are great for instigating discussion at your next month’s book club!
The Gist
This story follows the life of Frankie Presto – the greatest guitarist of all ages. Born in Spain during World War II and the Franco Revolution, his early years are full of tragedy but he finds comfort and love in music. After the death of his father, he’s sent to America where he finds success as a guitarist. His fantastic journey takes him to performances with the best of 50s and 60s music – Elvis Presley, Duke Ellington, and Hank Williams. But Frankie Presto’s story isn’t so straightforward – his life has more meaning than even he realizes. With magic, love, and a musical narrator, the book is a wonderful, flowing tale of perseverance, forgiveness and finding the meaning of success.
Feyble’s Book Club Pick of the Month
I fell in love with this book so fast. There were so many great things to enjoy! The story was phenomenal and complex and twisty-turvy. The characters made you fall in love. The writing was lyrical and so smooth it was like a slip and slide.
Music
Albom’s use of music is unique and intriguing. I love that he made Music the narrator. I think his personification was so well done. Have you read The Book Thief by Markus Zusak? It’s one of my favorite books and does something similar by personifying Death. If you liked that book, you’ll like this one too. The pacing and storytelling are similar.
And you can really feel the love that Albom has for music. The life lessons learned through his discussion of music were prevalent and wonderful to read. Some of the best quotes are just about music!
The song gave him comfort. That is often why you come to music, isn’t it? To feel that you are not alone?
“When you started to play, the first time, what do you remember?”
“It hurt.”
“Yes,” the blind man said. His voice choked. “And this will hurt as well.” He cleared his throat. “But you will form your calluses. And it will get easier.”
The Lyrical Story
This story was just so good from beginning to end. I LOVED the unexpected plot twists that ran through the book and the way there’s a crescendo that ties the story back to its music theme. It truly was an epic – beginning at Frankie Presto’s birth and ending with his miraculous death.
The Best Book Club Book
Book club books are always ones that make you think and that can garner discussion. If that’s what you’re looking for, then this is the one! There are so many story lines that run through the book and the character development is so good. There’s just no way you run out of things to say in between those sips of wine.
If you’d like to see other reviews, check out what other people had to say here!
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Alyssa Flores
Alyssa reads hundreds of books a year and is on a never-ending quest to find the perfect book.
