The Most Beautiful: My Life with Prince

Okay this will be long, but I have a lot to say about this book.... Let’s all take a moment. Take a deep breath. 4 counts in. Hold it it. 4 counts out. You good? Okay. Mayte Garcia is probably one of the most polarizing figures in the P universe. We knew she was his first wife. Mother of his kids. They shared several tragedies. She was on a reality show. Things happened. Not a ton of info about their time together other than what was heard on the grapevine...and OH what a grapevine it has been. So informed by said grapevine, I came to this book full of side eye, salt, and envy if I can be completely honest here. Lump on the features in People magazine, I came with WHY?! Reading that absolutely tuned my stomach and I felt horrible for wanting to know such personal things. But then I realized, I was reading this in People magazine, which isn’t the most credible source for information as they tend to be sensational most of time. So I said to myself, I’ve read dozens upon dozens of Prince books and articles from former band mates, scholars, super fans, journalists, groupies, ex-girlfriends...why not read one by his first wife. Also, if I want to speak about this book with any credibility, I have to read it. And so I did. Can I tell you that I had to eat every single judgmental thought I’ve ever had about her? Can I tell you that she addresses pretty much every “why” question I had regarding her? Can I tell you about the amount of self-awareness this woman has and perhaps even had during her time with Prince? Can I tell you how surprised I was about how well written this book is? About how good of a story teller she is? About how my respect for her just as a woman skyrocketed? Can I tell you how ashamed I was for being surprised about how well written this book is? About how good of a story teller she is? About how my respect for her just as a woman only skyrocketed after having read this? Can I tell you that even at the sweetest moments with her and P, I did not have an IOTA of envy and was excited and happy that they were so in love? Can I tell you how important context is when considering what people do and why they do it? This book is about Mayte Garcia. It's about HER life and when Prince enters it, it's still about HER life. When he exits...still about HER life. I feel like I grew as a person by reading this, learning not to judge, and to look at myself and really consider the reasons why I react or get upset about things regarding P, or really just in general. I learned to address those things so I can be free to just absorb and appreciate other people’s life experience without placing my own projections onto it. Not gonna lie, this is a VERY difficult book to read, especially leading up to the anniversary, not because of what’s in it (the info about Prince and his habits isn’t new if you’ve read Dance, Music, Sex, Romance by Per Nilsen or Possessed by Alex Hahn) but because of the emotionally raw place it comes from. Everyone will stand in front of a huge mirror when it comes to this book. What you see in it will be very revealing of who you are as a person. If you’re coming to it with an anti-mayte agenda and a point to prove, you will find evidence here that will corroborate what you think about her...because that is what you will want to find...and that is all that you will see. If you’re coming with a set idea that Prince is a wonderful, loving, sexy and giving musical genius, you may be in for a disruptive experience that will humanize him in more ways you’re ready for (ESPECIALLY if you haven’t read the aforementioned books). If you come with a general curiosity about him with no context about him otherwise, you will find it to be a depiction of a flawed genius...and maybe a few other not so nice judgements without having the context of his upbringing. If you come with a critical, but open minded place of love4oneanother and really lean into this, really dig in and challenge yourself, your perceptions, your prejudices, your bias, you will find this book to be an incredibly DIFFICULT, but humbling and cathartic experience. I thoroughly enjoyed this deeply resonating and evocative journey. I came with a critical, but open minded mindset, had to reset my own feelings every few pages...then found that I didn’t have to anymore as I progressed through the book. I emerged with HUGE amounts of respect for Mayte, and yes Prince was humanized even more in a MAJOR way through her lens, even given that much of the info here isn’t new if you’ve been around. It’s interesting in that he is in this book for sure, but this book is not about him at all. You still only get a glimpse of who he was. I found I still very much loved and wanted to protect the complex and human man that was depicted here (as much as you can a stranger). He is still a wonderful, loving, sexy, giving musical genius. Even at the most difficult points when he seemed to be only one of those things (lol), he was still transparent, pure of intent, and INCREDIBLY consistent in the way he dealt with really everything. Whatever your perception of this book is, in reading it, you will be challenged deeply on the reasons why you are fam and you will have to face that truth in a VERY direct way. It will take some time to process and you should let this marinate for a minute while you do. Don’t be afraid of what might come up as you work it out. Let it wash over you and really do some self inventory...if you do this right, it can really be an amazingly healing ride. That was my experience and I hope you are able to free yourself so you can learn, grow, and heal from this journey as well.

This book was an easy read it flowed well and was hard to put down. I Am very defensive and protective of Prince but this book was about Mayte's life with Prince. She didn't give away any very personal secrets. I wonder if she had a ghostwriter, it was so well written. It was very economical with words. It didn't ramble on and on. It kept you engaged. I never got bored. This lady was talented and independent and self-sufficient. How many teenagers have $100,000.00 in their bank account? It was a beautiful love story and a tragedy. I saw someone I thought the world of, exploit women. I saw women knife each other in the back to be with him. I saw a cruelty in Prince I wish I had never seen. He did not acknowledge her pain, her need to be comforted after the loss of her son. It was all about him. He abandoned her when she needed him the most and I don't like him for that, yet I will always love him. With that said, she never bashed or trashed him and I would not have blamed her if she had. He certainly had it coming in my book. They tried to reach for each other but I felt he didn't try hard enough; after all, he was the man and the head & priest of his household. Some women lose several children before they even have one. To me, this is all in life and marriage between two people; for better or for worse; and not abandon ship at the first sign of trouble. This book is going to help a lot of young unsuspecting girls, know what to look for and how to handle themselves with older men. Mayte was too hurt to stand up for herself properly and get what she deserved which is half of his dynasty in my book. He was cheating on her which could have been proven easy enough. His innermost circle certainly knew what was going on. She should have been divorcing him. She got nothing. And, the media trashed and bashed her. He offered her the mansion in Spain because he knew she didn't have the income to keep that property or the experience in life with men to even see that she was being jerked around. He had the nerve to even ask her if she sold it knowing she didn't have the financial means to keep it. The mechanics' liens on the property for its upkeep ate up any equity she might have had. He knew all this trust me. She really needed her parents to go to bat for her. She was too inexperienced to do that on her own and too emotionally distraught. My advice to her is to still ask for money from his estate because she was entitled to it on the grounds of adultery!!! Perhaps his family will give her a cut. She still loves him, Sheila E. still loves him, I still love him we're all pathetic! Keep your head up baby and good luck with your dog rescue. I live in Las Vegas too if you ever want to meet me.

Mayte is a captivating writer and supreme story-teller. I didn't want to put this achingly beautifully written book down but also didn't want it to end. I didn't have the highest expectations, in terms of content, flow or writing ability since she's not a professional writer, but wanted to learn more about their love story and time together and about Prince from her unique perspective of having been all things to him over a period of ten critical years in his life as an artist and man. I had seen some of her promotional interviews and felt it would be an honest and loving look at that period in their lives as only she could tell it and it absolutely is. With admirable candor, warmth and humor, Mayte gives us an intimate glimpse into the breathtakingly romantic fairy tale love story and the horrifically tragic heartbreak that ultimately drove them apart. I laughed and cried but mostly cried for both of them and found myself wishing they had been able to have the children they deeply desired and that their relationship and family had remained intact. It made me wonder how they both would be different today and made me reflect on my own life and how disappointments and successes have influenced the trajectory of my life. I appreciated the honest look at the many sides of Prince and it brought out many different emotions in me as I contemplated his life, especially the impact his childhood and lifelong faith had on him as a man and artist. It is a very difficult read emotionally, deeply nuanced and raw, and resonated with me on many levels. It also challenged my beliefs about Prince and showed how extremely human he was - both good and bad, selfless and selfish, angelic and not so angelic, like the rest of us mere mortals. A true Gemini, with very different, and at times, conflicting personas, but always about the details, style, sensuality and giving his all. At times in the story, I really didn't like him, which was hard because I, like many others, feel very protective of him, but in the end I was drawn to him even more with a deeper understanding of the man and an inkling of what made him who he was and still more curiosity that may never be fully satisfied. He was a master of mystery and a genius above all. I appreciate how Mayte showed us Prince, the deep, open, sweet and personal, and the driven, prolific and often manic businessman, who seemed at times haunted and secretive about what he was going through. This book was also a healing and cathartic journey for me at a very difficult point in my life when Prince's music has kept me going. I wanted their fairy tale to last for the romantic in all of us, but as is so often the case, there is darkness on the other side of so much light and devastating lows after soaring highs. Prince was like an angel in many respects but also a deeply flawed human being and it helped to bring it down to earth for me since he seemed so otherworldly and larger than life. I fell in love with both of them here and shed many tears thinking about them and how Mayte was both blessed and cursed to have loved Prince at such an early and formative time in her adult life. As she has said, how does anyone come after Prince and fill those tiny high-heeled boots. This is, ultimately, however, a book about Mayte's life and her time with Prince and the story is told perfectly, with just the right touch, never boring or off-track, admitting what she knew and didn't know and that she just accepted a great many things as I assume most who were close to him did. It is an excellent book obviously written from deep love and respect, without judgment, and I felt like I got to know them both and their hearts and frailties. Mayte has my respect for the effort and courage it took to write this, which couldn't have been easy emotionally or from an organizational or content standpoint. I'm glad she took it on as she is obviously a beautiful writer as she is a dancer and singer, someone with a beautiful spirit that captivated Prince as well. I'm sure I will read this many times for the beauty and emotion it elicited. It is a slam dunk in my opinion and I can't say that about many books. It is the best memoir I have read and I can only imagine what Prince's would have been like had he gotten to it - it would have been a whole lot to get his arms and head around but would have been beyond fascinating. At least we have Mayte's and I'm grateful for that.

"I want to peel back the layers and let you know the man I loved - the good, the bad, the sad and the beautiful" (MAYTE GARCIA) Mayte writes the story of her ten-year journey with Prince with poetry, power and pain. This is a tear-jerker, so keep tissues handy. To us, he was Prince. A pop, rock and soul God. He was music defined. There will never be another and we don't want another. So many of us grew up on his music and presence. Prince was not only the greatest musician (multi-instrumentalist) to ever grace the planet...Prince was a lifestyle, a movement. He was royalty on stage and screen. The man owned the color purple and could pull any woman he wanted wearing lace, heels, immaculately permed hair, AND more make-up than a CoverGirl model . When he passed away, the world literally turned purple and doves indeed cried. We all have to leave this world, but this loss hit hard. Then came the storm of stories, speculations and secrets from people who knew him well or wanted to know him. Like so many others, I sat transfixed in front of the TV watching Stevie Wonder and Sheila E and former band members tearfully talk about their friend, their boss, in some cases interview subject... everyone had a story to share. We as fans drank it up as we grieved with the rest of the world. The tributes flooded in from fellow musicians and singers and one of those compelling performances reunited two of the most iconic women in Prince's life. Sheila E. has often been described as Prince's musical soul mate and is a legend in her own right. When she hit the stage and honored her former friend, boss and fiancé during the BET tribute last year, she absolutely channeled "The Purple One" and it was if Prince's spirit had jumped in her for that electric performance. THEN MAYTE CAME OUT AND JOINED HER. Here we had two women who both loved this man and gave their talents fully to him, now honoring his memory with all they could muster. That last shot of them holding his guitar up towards the heavens and fighting back tears is an epic statement, not to be forgotten. I lost it. So much love in their eyes. So a year goes by and we hear about this book. Now anyone who doesn't live in a cave or under a rock knows who Mayte is and was to Prince. His belly dancing muse was always seen twirling around him onstage or at his side in interviews or walking the red carpet of award shows. The two were in love and it was palpable. It was the most open we had seen Prince, who used to shun interviews, especially in the early years before the phenomenal film Purple Rain. With Mayte at his side, we saw a smiling, affectionate and more open Prince who eventually made it known Mayte was more than a girl that twirled about him onstage. They were married in 1996 and began building a life together offstage until the divorce in 2000. So, what happened? Was it coincidence or fate that joined these two? How did this "Princess Mayte" go from meeting Prince at 16 years old, touring with him as a paid band member, marrying him and bearing a child with him to annulling and later divorcing the man she never called by name but loved with all her might, despite never being the one woman "Forever in his life. Well, that's just it. Prince was married to music and everyone else was secondary in his world. Mayte knew this and still traveled the world with him. We see this story unfold through her eyes and it's one of luxury and a world's stage but when the lights go down and it's just her and Prince, we see a side of him that will make us laugh, scratch our heads in wonder, shed tears and above all else - miss his incredible presence even more. What a tale this is... Mayte, I see why you say you will self-admittedly "never get over him" but I am so happy you have Gia. She is a gift from God indeed. Continue to pour all the love and devotion you had for Prince into your daughter's life. All that to say this book is a glimpse into a season filled with tremendous highs and heart-breaking lows from a woman who shared public and intimate space with one of the world's greatest musical artist's of all time. She paints some lovely images and memories. She paints some painful and horribly tragic moments. Some things will surprise readers, some things will shock, and some things may just change your entire view of Prince the man. Mayte keeps it real about knowing she wasn't the only woman in his life (woo, Prince loved the ladies, didn't he?) but she was determined to make a go of it. Whether you love Mayte or question her reasons for putting it "out there", it's HER story. Let's hope our sweet Prince is royally slaying it at the eternal "after show" and if their paths ever cross again, they do "shake hands" - at the least. "When you lose someone dear to you never say the words 'they're gone'...they'll come back" (PRINCE ROGERS NELSON)

I cannot add too much to what has already been said therefore I will focus on the the positive aspects of the reading experience and the quibbles which I think the reader should look out for. POSITIVES- I could be wrong, but it sounds like Mayte wrote it herself, without a "ghost" writer! I've seen a few of her interviews and this SOUNDS like her voice; that of a vibrant, enthusiastic yet wise woman who was an artist in her own right BEFORE she was swept up into the Purple Cyclone of a man who was born PRINCE ROGERS NELSON, who the world knew as Prince. She's having a conversation with us within these pages about her life; she's not dishing out "the dirt" nor seeking a payday but telling amusing and heart breaking stories about her career before and after her appearance on "That's Incredible", which inevitably drew that Purple Cyclone toward her. Mayte Garcia and Prince were both former child prodigies, separated by about a decade and a half but they would find they had more in common than they would have imagined! According to Mayte, when she saw PURPLE RAIN, she was very young; she didn`t know how it would happen but she felt that she was destined to marry Prince, which she did. NEGATIVES- Or rather, THE negative, is that Mayte wrote it herself. Although an ENGAGING storyteller, Mayte Garcia isn't a professional writer; neither am I, but I do know one should avoid SLANG! 10 years from now, if a Prince fan were to research this period of his career, of which Mayte was a large part; upon seeking, finding and reading this delightful volume, they may be baffled by some of the expressions she uses, I know I was, hopefully, he or she will have a computer application which can translate these vogue terms! It's a charming read, one which should be on the bookshelf of any self respecting Prince fan, or whomever wants to become one!

D@MN! Mayte's story repeatedly knocked the wind out of me over the three days it took me to read it. I finished it with the song, Soften the Blows, by Lisa Marie Presley on my mind. The chorus basically asks if her higher power could go easy on her in the future. I was thinking that whomever Mayte worshipped needed to give her a break. I'm a Prince fan but I'm by no means am I fanatical about him. I am however aware that many die hard Prince fans consider Mayte kryptonite. Some have criticized her choice to speak out in the past and most haven't liked some of her previous statements or actions. Many were irrate about this book. The majority of these fans don't seem to view Prince as human. They don't want to talk about anything that could paint him in a negative light. His flaws, addictions, conduct, etc. Any fan that touches these sensitive subjects where Prince could come across negatively immediately gets attacked on social media the same way Mayte has over the years. I find this behavior disgusting and closed minded. Prince was a man. He was subject to the mistakes we all inevitably make. He was a flawed human being just like all of us. Being a musical genius doesn't mean you are a saint capable of no wrongdoing. Some fans, IMO, simply don't live in the real world with regard to Prince. The fact that some of his actions were unsavory doesn't make him a bad person. It simply makes him human. Knowing all of this I picked up the book with an open mind and heart. I was always curious about Mayte's story and this book answered most of my questions. I applauded and marveled at Mayte's early success. I fell in love with their love affair, felt empathy for their pain when they lost their babies and rooted for them to come through the rough times unscathed prior to the divorce. At the end I ached for Mayte and felt her deep losses through my own past heartaches. I loved Hollywood Exes even though I know there's nothing real about "reality" tv. It was nice to get the actual backstory on how Gia and Mayte were really brought together. I had moments where I was angry at Prince but ultimately I chose forgiveness. As I said, he was a man. A successful, famous, talented rich man. He did what men do... Maybe that's cynical and maybe some see that as an excuse (it's not) but ultimately his behavior wasn't all that shocking to me. Except for the ashes - that literally makes my stomach churn. How can ANYONE be so callous to someone they claimed to have loved? In the end, I came back to love and forgiveness though. We error as humans and he was no different. I came away admiring Mayte for surviving such a journey. She got her mama's strength for sure. I'm sure she'll pass that strength onto Gia. I genuinely hope that she can move on now and perhaps find love again eventually. She loved Prince unconditionally. I'm not sure if he was worthy of her love (IMO) but ultimately that's not for me to judge. The story is told with grace and dignity. Mayte is brutality honest but there is no malicious intent to maim anyone. She expresses exactly what needs to be conveyed while maintaining a certain level of mystery. The book isn't a scandalous tell-all as most haters would have you believe. It's simply her story of love, despair and rebirth. A couple of questions I would have liked her to answer: 1) Why she didn't go to Europe/Cairo and reignite her belly dancing career after recovering from the divorce. 2) And for her parents, if they regretted letting her go to Minnesota vs going to Cairo in the early years. UPDATE: After reading the book I listened to the audio version which Mayte narrates. Someone told me it'd be a completely different experience. That turned out to be 100% accurate. Hearing the pain and anguish in Mayte's voice as she choked back tears during several passages was heartbreaking. Her love, hurt, despair, anger and joy are tangible. Her voice really made the words leap off the page in a way that's different than if you're just reading it. SN: Mayte could totally do voice over work. She's got a beautiful speaking voice for it.

Mayte was one of Prince's premier - if not PREMIER dancers back in the day - and then became his first wife. For many who know of Mayte - that is as far as the story goes. To hear the full story, directly from Mayte, is absolutely astounding. The highs are beyond and the lows are...well...incredibly tragic. It is amazing to read her story and even more so how she managed to navigate it all. I couldn't believe to see some one star reviews of this...readers complaining that this is all about "Mayte" - and not enough about "Prince" and that all Mayte does is "talk about herself" (?!) . Well...that is because this is HER story - and it is well written and a lot! This book is like "Daisy and the 6" on fire!!!!! But very, very real. If you are a Prince fan, once you read this book - you may become a Mayte fan even more. This book is worth every page that is in it - highly recommend.

Go buy this book NOW! I guarantee you will thank me. I’m sitting here having just finished the book, feeling a bit lost, a bit of grief, a bit of joy but most of all so very much gratitude to Mayte for sharing her story! I loved her back-story and learning about her as a human being. Her story resonates...it is organic and beautiful but so much more. I love that it focuses on her life, her perspective, her journey. The biggest surprise is how well written it is and as hard as I'm sure it was to put pen to paper for specific topics...thank you so much for going there. You are correct, tabloids did speculate about all manor of ugliness and it’s nice to finally know the truth. I’m not sure why I purchased this book when it came across as a recommendation from Amazon because I don’t read autobiography EVER but I’m so thankful I did! It starts with Mayte as a child of 3 entering the world of professional dance and quickly progresses to her first fateful meeting with Prince. It goes on to delightfully funny, poignant stories about their relationship before 18 and after 18 and all the rest. One of the best books I’ve read in a good long while, you won’t be disappointed!