Summary of The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto: by Mitch Albom | Includes Analysis

By Instaread Summaries

Summary of The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto by Mitch Albom | Includes Analysis

Preview:

The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto by Mitch Albom is a novel about the fictional

musician Frankie Presto and his amazing journey through music and life. Frankie’s

life story is told f

• Language: English
• Publisher: Instaread, Inc
• Release date: May 19, 2016
• ISBN: 9781683782315

Book preview

Summary

The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto by Mitch Albom is a novel about the fictional musician Frankie Presto and his amazing journey through music and life. Frankie’s life story is told from the perspective of music, a fictional narrator. This is fitting, given that Frankie was one of the world’s greatest guitarists.

The story, however, begins at its end: Frankie has died during a music festival. During a performance, his body levitates and then drops to the stage. The novel opens at Frankie’s funeral, where music-industry figures—including nonfictional musicians such as Lyle Lovett and Ingrid Michaelson—have gathered to pay their respects and share their thoughts about the deceased guitarist. Music, the narrator, uses the opportunity of the funeral to reflect on Frankie’s life.

Frankie is born in Villareal, Spain, in August 1936, amid the violence of the Spanish Civil War. Late in her pregnancy, Frankie’s mother, Carmencita, goes walking along the riverbank. There she encounters a gypsy family. The father, known as El Pelé, gives her a set of guitar strings that glow blue. She takes them, planning to give them to her husband, El Maestro, a musician who had been blinded in the war.

At church later that night, Carmencita doubles over in pain: her labor has begun. A young nun named Josefa comes to assist her. But before they can leave, the church is