I have to be honest and say I was on the fence when it came to purchasing this book. It didn’t have anything to do with Mayte personally but I have been disappointed in the past when it came to celebrity books. I won’t say any names. Ok… I will whisper the name to you.
Remembering Whitney by Cissy Houston
Back to Mayte…
I watched Hollywood Exes on VH-1 and I knew Mayte was holding back when it came to Prince. I don’t blame her because we know Prince + his money could make things happen or make things not happen. In the book, she never mentions how he felt about her starring on Hollywood Exes – but he did have his people contact her when he found out about her auditioning off some of his items.
In the beginning of the book, she talks about how she and Prince forged this friendship when she was the tender age of 16. She talked about how they were pen pals for a lack of a better word. They would correspond with each other through letters and videotape. I found myself saying awwwww… as I listened to her tell the story.
Then my motherly instincts kicked in… A 32 year-old man writing letters to a 16 year-old. Even though her parents had no problem with her being around Prince – I still couldn’t shake it completely.
Especially when Prince admitted being attracted to her but didn’t act on it until she was 19. I will say this – times have changed because Social Media would have had a field day with this one.
This was a love story but it was also a story about heartbreak. There’s a part in the book where Mayte talks about Prince and the touching of the hands. My eyes were watering up because I have been there before. Sometimes the warning alarms are going off loud and clear but we still turn a blind eye because we don’t want to give up on love.
She also opens up about the tragic lost of their son, Amir. She dispels the rumors that her son was named Boy Gregory Nelson. She tells readers how that rumor got started and as usual the press had it wrong. That was another part of the book that had me shedding tears especially when you find out why she doesn’t have her son’s ashes. I think that incident would have sent me over the edge.
After listening to the last chapter of The Most Beautiful: My Life w/Prince by Mayte Garcia – I sat still for a minute and then I exhaled.
The bottom line is she loved Prince.
Did this book change my opinion about Prince? No! I won’t say I was a diehard fan but I was a fan. Super fan – Die hard – Groupie – as fans there are things we aren’t privy to.
We tend to put our favorite celebrities on pedestals but they are human like the rest of us. We are all flawed. (Side note: Does this include Oprah Winfrey? Lawd!! knows I love me some Oprah!) There is also mention of Oprah Winfrey in the book.
You can read everything related to Prince – you can memorize the lyrics to his songs but you will never know the man that Mayte knew. She was his first wife and the mother of his children something no else can claim. If you are upset with her for writing this book – don’t buy it. You will get over it. It’s her story to tell and she did it in her time.
There are so many things I want to share about the book but I don’t want to spoil it. So I will end it here.
I am on the fence about this. I LOVE Prince. I want to read it and not be upset with him.
I agree with the whispered celeb book. I was SOOOOO disappointed, especially since I an from East Orange and we all embraced Whitney.