Now Read This: 'The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto' by Mitch Albom

Each of our lives is like a symphony. Every person we meet and everything we experience weaves together to create a melody unique to us. Sometimes it is allegro, lively and fast. At other times, adagio, slow and restful. Our music often is melodious, but also sometimes dissonant. Each of these elements is displayed in the life of the fictional legendary guitar player Frankie Presto in Mitch Albom’s newest book, titled “The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto.”

What makes this book unique is that it is narrated by the voice of Music. It begins at the funeral of the central character, Frankie Presto, and alternates between present-day interviews with famous friends of the deceased and the past events of his life. While Frankie is a fictional character, this book intertwines his life with those of real people. Someone with any kind of musical background or who has enjoyed listening to music over the years will appreciate this book’s musical references. A number of recognizable musical artists have character cameos as they reminisce at the funeral.

The first flashback takes the reader to the mysterious and tragic circumstances of Frankie’s birth in a small town in Spain. These flashbacks reveal details of his formative years and how he came to be in possession of his unique guitar having magical properties and of his incredible musical talent. His virtuosity takes him from Spain to America and intersects his life with notable musical figures from genres ranging from classical to jazz to rock ‘n’ roll. I recognized a few of the names and enjoyed how skillfully Albom incorporated them into his story.

In the acknowledgments at the end of the book, Albom talks a little bit about each person represented and how they came to be written into the novel. To quote the book jacket, “A lifelong musician himself, Mitch Albom delivers an unforgettable story. ‘Everyone joins a band in this life,’ he observes, be it through music, family, friends or lovers. And those connections change the world.” I found this book to be a unique and captivating story.

The library owns copies of this book in regular and large print, as well as copies of all of Mitch Albom’s other titles. Don’t forget you can place a hold on titles through the library’s website, the BookMyne app or with a library staff member.

Happy readings!


About Jean

Jean Martin is the user services supervisor at the Cape Girardeau Public Library.