ARTFUL READERS CLUB
"THE MAGIC STRINGS OF FRANKIE PRESTO"
by Mitch Albom
SEPTEMBER 11, 2016
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| REMEMBERING... |
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I always feel like I’ve learned something about life when
reading the books of Mitch Albom. THE MAGIC STRINGS of FRANKIE PRESTO was no exception.
Albom has composed a beautiful symphony…magical, lyrical and soulful… about one
man’s life and the people whom he touched.
Our story opens as people are
arriving for Frankie Presto’s funeral, a time to reflect on his life…a life
narrated by Music…yes, Music. As mourners from all over the world file in, they
stop to tell a favorite Presto vignette. Among these are people you’d know…Burt
Bacharach, Hank Williams, the Everly Brothers, Roger McGuinn of The Byrds, Tony
Bennett, Paul Stanley of KISS and Wynton Marsalis (just to name a few.)
We’re witnesses to Frankie Presto’s birth, (when he was
immediately orphaned,) and to his difficult growing up years. But, because of
Music’s influence over his life, our hearts are warmed as he manages to overcome his hardships and make
his way from Villarreal, Spain (his birthplace during the mid 1930’s Spanish
Civil War ) to Detroit, New Orleans, Woodstock and other places around the
world…he was a global success not only as a master guitar player but as a singer and composer!
This epic novel blends fable, parable, mystery, romance and
fairy tale into one of the best books I’ve read in quite a while. The entire
book is a metaphor as to how music has the ability to heal. With the Spirit of
Music as our guide, we glimpse into the lives that were changed by "the greatest guitar player who ever lived..." the one man
whose strings could touch the music… and the magic… in each of us.
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