The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto / Mitch Albom
RATINGS
Overall: 2.5/ 5 stars
Text Level: Easy
Entertainment: Medium
Self-Help: Low
Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Music, Magical Realism, Fantasy
Page Count: 489
Is this book right for me and my inmate?
For music fans dealing with the struggles of relationships hindered by addiction this book is a good choice.
Buy on: Amazon
Review By: Blackbird (Inmate)
A magically story of music and true love.
Frankie Presto is a twisting and turning story based on a fictional rock stars life during the birth of rock n' roll. Mitch Albom writes with a clear simplicity that makes it easy for readers to follow the wild journey the hero of this tale takes. I found it fast paced and easy to read on my days locked down in the cell when I wasn't in the mood to read something really heavy. Like many other Albom books I have read the author tries to tie a greater life message in his work to have the readers learn something about their own spirituality. I believe that this has been very helpful to me during my time incarcerated to find a level of peace. In this particular book the message was a little more difficult to find, but in the end I was left feeling that reading this book was worth while.
What I learned and took away from this story was that in order for us to find peace and understand true love, forgiveness must be something we work towards. The character of Frankie was abandoned as a child and struggled with drugs and alcohol even as he became famous all over the world as a rock star. He was haunted by his past and it led to destructive actions that tore apart most of his relationships. I could definitely relate to parts of this character's life in those self destructive ways. What he learned along his struggles was that the love he sought had to be earned by him forgiving for all the past hardships he faced. I use to be stuck in the past and it took me a long time to let past hurts go that I had no control over. Being incarcerated and having time to read stories like this and reflect on the need to forgive to finally find the love I deserve is something I am grateful for. I think this is a good book for anyone that might enjoy reading a musical themed novel that in the ends helps you possibly find a little more love for this world.
Book Quotes
"The secret is not to make your music louder, but to make the world quieter."
"When you want someone to listen to you... You will make them hear the beauty of what you are offering, and they will want it for themselves."