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jmcglo's review against another edition
5.0
I would probably give this a 4.5, but I'm rounding up. After I got over my judgments of the author's self-helpy previous works I was pretty captivated. I loved the different perspectives, the weaving of real world people into this fictional tale, and the magical realism. It took me awhile to give Albom permission in this vein, but once I did, I found it charming. And all of the research and realness he infused into the work at the same time is admirable. Definitely recommend it!
lu2cook's review against another edition
4.0
Everyone joins a band...... I enjoyed all of the musical references in this book.
rob_britt's review against another edition
5.0
this was hard to put down and I finished so quickly. This book was beautiful and so relatable to me. I would guess it might hit non musicians the same way, but it made me cry multiple times throughout the read and then again at the end. lots of twists and turns. thank you Mitch Albom. Some of this really hit home and gave me hope.
hayleyski's review against another edition
5.0
Incredible. Breathtaking. Mitch Albom has a gift similar to Frankie Presto. His words of love, hurt, and music engulf others. The idea to have the narrator to be the embodiment of music was incredible. I have learned to appreciate the pain and rigor that comes with music. And let’s not forget the handsome Frankie Presto himself. Ugh, he sounds like a total catch. Frankie has become one of my favorite characters in a fiction story. The plot, the writing, the characters, everything about this book was done so well. Well done Albom.
bookhussy's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
mryjhnsn's review against another edition
5.0
The Magic Strings was one of the best books I've ever read. From start to finish I was intoxicated with this musician's life. And, the ending was perfect and satisfying albeit bittersweet. I highly recommend listening to this book. While the character is fictional, the musicians are not and they read fictional accounts of Frankie Presto.
magspie's review against another edition
4.0
Pretty interesting.
A story of Frankie Presto mainly told from the perspective of God (similar to the Screwtape Letters....but opposite).
With each life that Frankie changes, one of his guitar strings turns blue, so it's interesting to follow the stories of the people he meets.
Interesting twist at the end with the sentinel
A story of Frankie Presto mainly told from the perspective of God (similar to the Screwtape Letters....but opposite).
With each life that Frankie changes, one of his guitar strings turns blue, so it's interesting to follow the stories of the people he meets.
Interesting twist at the end with the sentinel
gorelenore's review against another edition
3.0
This book has a pretty long synopsis, and truth be told it pretty much explains everything. While that is a blessing it is also a curse I think. I added this book to the voting list for my work book club and honestly thought of all the love I have for Mitch Albom's short heart-wrenching works I have read previously - little did I know that this one was not short... not at all, and that as emotional as it sounded, it didn't really carry through the entirety of the novel.
Albom puts together a beautiful story, as he does, and drives it home in the end, but it was slow going and a little confusing. The life of Frankie is told through the point of view of music itself versus a character account or personal account. That in and of itself was what threw me off first, actually if I am honest it was the number of pages... but I got through just fine. The first half of the book, coming to terms with the music narrator and the jumping around in a timeline was very sluggish and a bit hard to get into and understand the bigger picture Albom was trying to create. However in the end it weaves itself back together so perfectly and emotionally you are again aware of the beauty that he can capture in a book.
I didn't love this one, but I did enjoy it. If you enjoy Mitch Albom novels, go into this one knowing that it will get there, but it takes a little while to warm up.
Albom puts together a beautiful story, as he does, and drives it home in the end, but it was slow going and a little confusing. The life of Frankie is told through the point of view of music itself versus a character account or personal account. That in and of itself was what threw me off first, actually if I am honest it was the number of pages... but I got through just fine. The first half of the book, coming to terms with the music narrator and the jumping around in a timeline was very sluggish and a bit hard to get into and understand the bigger picture Albom was trying to create. However in the end it weaves itself back together so perfectly and emotionally you are again aware of the beauty that he can capture in a book.
I didn't love this one, but I did enjoy it. If you enjoy Mitch Albom novels, go into this one knowing that it will get there, but it takes a little while to warm up.