I am definitely on a roll. I have read a string (no pun intended!) of really good books, and this is certainly one of them. In some respects, this book reminded me of Forrest Gump. Frankie traveled through life, making a significant impact on other's lives - some of them famous/infamous for their talent. Forrest "ran" and Frankie "played", but they both influenced others' lives.
The story is narrated by Music. Frankie was born a musical genius with enormous talent. He is given a guitar that he carries with him for most of his life. The 6 strings of his guitar appear to have some mysterious magical power. The strings never break until after one turns blue, and then it snaps and needs to be replaced. The string turns blue when Frankie's actions affect someone else, usually in a life or death situation. What I loved about this is that, yes, there does seem to be something magical in nature when the strings turn blue, but at the end, the reader discovers that it isn't something purely magical. Things happen for a reason. Frankie's life is saved over and over, not because of magic, but because someone has pledged their life to keep him safe. I loved the ending of this story - not only because we get to understand how & why everything happened the way it did, but also because Frankie finally finds out who his parents were. (I just wish El Maestro knew who his son was!)
El Maestro was obviously an excellent teacher for Frankie. I loved how he kept Frankie on track. My favorite comment he said to Frankie though was, "The secret is not to make your music louder, but to make the world quieter." I think that is excellent advice! Although Frankie made his music too loud at the worst times in his life, he returned to his roots, both musically and literally, at the end.
Another favorite quote from this story was made by Music: "But then, had many of you left places even one day earlier, the landscape of your lives would be rearranged. You cannot unplay your notes. Time, like music, is indelible that way." I often think about how one decision - one turn - one minute of hesitation or impulsiveness can change the path of your life. Frankie made lots of decisions, some of them impulsively, some heavily influenced by drugs, some thought out and some that caused him great sadness - which made his life veer off into some negative experiences, but in the end, he was able to find his "center" again by returning to his music.
I have always thought that the most talented, the most genius, the most artistic people in our world are often the ones who struggle with mental illness and chemical dependency issues. I really loved how Music addressed that. Music lamented the fact that the most musically talented people often think their creativity or "genius" lays at the bottom of a bottle or in the midst of a drug-induced haze (I am paraphrasing here!) and that these people need to understand that it is their natural talent (gifted by Music) that they need to trust in.
I really loved this book! I have never read Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom, which is the bestselling memoir of all time. I think it's about time I read it!
Wendy's Rating: *****
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