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by Mitch Albom
Mitch Albom creates his most unforgettable fictional character - Frankie Presto, the greatest guitarist to ever walk the earth - in this magical novel about the bands we join in life and the power of talent to change our lives.
An epic story of the greatest guitar player to ever live, and the six lives he changed with his magical blue strings.
In Albom's most sweeping novel yet, the voice of Music narrates the tale of its most beloved disciple, young Frankie Presto, a war orphan raised by a blind music teacher in a small Spanish town. At nine years old, Frankie is sent to America in the bottom of a boat. His only possession is an old guitar and six precious strings.
But Frankie's talent is touched by the gods, and his amazing journey weaves him through the musical landscape of the 20th century, from classical to jazz to rock and roll, with his stunning talent affecting numerous stars along the way, including Hank Williams, Elvis Presley, Carole King, Wynton Marsalis and even KISS.
Frankie becomes a pop star himself. He makes records. He is adored. But his gift is also his burden, as he realizes, through his music, he can actually affect people's futures - with one string turning blue whenever a life is altered.
At the height of his popularity, Frankie Presto vanishes. His legend grows. Only decades later, does he reappear - just before his spectacular death - to change one last life.
With its Forest Gump-like romp through the music world, The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto is a classic in the making. A lifelong musician himself, Mitch Albom delivers a remarkable novel, infused with the message that "everyone joins a band in this life" and those connections change us all.
What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? (10/16/2025)
This week, 0I am reading The True Story of Raja the Gullible by Rabih Alameddine and listening to The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto by Mitch Albom, and I am really enjoying both. Both are life stories of unusual people, and are escapist for me; one has an ironic slant and the other is, so far, a...
-Micki_S
"'All lonely roads lead back to Music' in this sentimental journey that might be a mashup of the lives of shooting stars like Bobby Darin or Ricky Nelson." - Kirkus
This information about The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Mitch Albom is the author of numerous books of fiction and nonfiction, which have collectively sold more than forty million copies in forty-seven languages worldwide. He has written seven number-one New York Times bestsellers – including Tuesdays with Morrie, the bestselling memoir of all time, which topped the list for four straight years – award-winning TV films, stage plays, screenplays, a nationally syndicated newspaper column, and a musical. Through his work at the Detroit Free Press, he was inducted into both the National Sports Media Association and Michigan Sports halls of fame and is the recipient of the 2010 Red Smith Award for lifetime achievement. After bestselling memoir Finding Chika and "Human Touch," the weekly serial written and published online in real-time to...
... Full Biography
Author Interview
Link to Mitch Albom's Website
Name Pronunciation
Mitch Albom: al-bum (as in record album)
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