OK, I've heard back from my contacts and was able to shoot some questions to Mayte about the book. The questions have been asked.

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But I'm thinking of having the thread locked. It was suppose to be a fun discussion where those of us who had purchased and read the book could come together and discuss things like adults. As you can all see, it was going smoothly until the same ole people decided they didn't like a conversation without insults.

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For those who participated on this thread, Thank you very much. I know several of you put in research, money (buying the book), and taking up your much valued time to set the timelines and events. I really enjoyed it, and getting to know each of you. We were so darn excited to get this book club going that we couldn't wait for all of us to get our books before we started. I know I purchased 2 books because my other one wasn't shipping right away so I bought the 2nd one at Target.

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Again, I'm sorry that this positive thread has went this way, thank you for your personal time to help make this thread positive.

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I've started another book thread, but it i.s heading the same way this one is, with the same players. Sooo, I don't know about that one either.

PennyPurple said:

moonsister said:

PennyPurple said:

OK, I've heard back from my contacts and was able to shoot some questions to Mayte about the book. The questions have been asked.

.

But I'm thinking of having the thread locked. It was suppose to be a fun discussion where those of us who had purchased and read the book could come together and discuss things like adults. As you can all see, it was going smoothly until the same ole people decided they didn't like a conversation without insults.

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For those who participated on this thread, Thank you very much. I know several of you put in research, money (buying the book), and taking up your much valued time to set the timelines and events. I really enjoyed it, and getting to know each of you. We were so darn excited to get this book club going that we couldn't wait for all of us to get our books before we started. I know I purchased 2 books because my other one wasn't shipping right away so I bought the 2nd one at Target.

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Again, I'm sorry that this positive thread has went this way, thank you for your personal time to help make this thread positive.

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I've started another book thread, but it i.s heading the same way this one is, with the same players. Sooo, I don't know about that one either.

I think locking it is a good idea also, because the people demanding answers to the contradictions in the book can't possibly believe anyone here has definitive answers, so they must just want to drag Mayte. There are plenty of other places for that.

And what really sucks is I've went thru this thread and made note of EVERYONE's questions to ask the author, trying to get answers for them & finally got to ask those questions to the author. So yeah it does suck.

PennyPurple said:

moonsister said:

PennyPurple said:

And what really sucks is I've went thru this thread and made note of EVERYONE's questions to ask the author, trying to get answers for them & finally got to ask those questions to the author. So yeah it does suck.

Since you are the OP maybe you could ignore ALL comments, that way no one can accuse you of favoring one side, then post the answers here if and when you get them. Then you might be able to enjoy your new thread. Thank you for your hard work, I appreciate it.

I've combed thru 51 pages of this thread for other peoples questions and forgot to ask her MY questions. LOL

PennyPurple said:

PennyPurple said:

Misslink88 said:

Yes, you "normal people" get to name-call, make proclamations, and do character assasinations as you've just demonstrated again. Look @ how many times you've repremanded people for daring to question what she wrote. You come guns a-blazing after anyone whom you perceive as being critical or negative - and it's ALL negative if one isn't swooning over it, in your estimation. Your agenda is clear: only those who love the book will be high-fived with "well saids" and everyone else is trying to "derail the thread". Don't even try to feign you're being objective.

And the only reason you and the 2 others are over here is to derail and hijack that thread. You aren't interested in Mayte, if you were, you'd have participated at the very beginning with Chpt 1.

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We were all doing fine and minding our own business, discussing the book like adults but certain people couldn't stand it. They are jelly. They just couldn't couldn't stand it.

As you know Penny, I asked earlier if I could join - a public discussion forum - and you said no. I respected that until you had finished and then I and others asked about things in the book that did not make sense. It is not derailing a thread to ask questions and discuss what Mayte wrote. People who pointed out things that didn't make sense are suddenly "not adults" because they simply ask why this or that doesn't make sense?

One thing I wanted to add....I don't think it is a correct assumption to say that one would have joined in the beginning. I for example, didn't own the book until Easter Weekend. It only took me a night and a morning to finish it. I have been swamped and even now I have not read all the threads. I wish I had more time but I am always busy like this at this time of year. But point being. I would have joined or contributed had I read and had time. I do plan to conribute as soon as I have time to think and collect thoughts and read all the pages.

Thanks for starting the thread and I would love to hear your answers you asked questions of.

It is a great idea. But I think it is healthy to have people NOT AGREE. I have seen the org get very catty and snarky and plain out bitchy. Though I didn't read all threads I don't see it THAT bad over here it is just people talking and agreeing (or not)

Misslink88 said:

PennyPurple said:

And the only reason you and the 2 others are over here is to derail and hijack that thread. You aren't interested in Mayte, if you were, you'd have participated at the very beginning with Chpt 1.

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We were all doing fine and minding our own business, discussing the book like adults but certain people couldn't stand it. They are jelly. They just couldn't couldn't stand it.

As you know Penny, I asked earlier if I could join - a public discussion forum - and you said no. I respected that until you had finished and then I and others asked about things in the book that did not make sense. It is not derailing a thread to ask questions and discuss what Mayte wrote. People who pointed out things that didn't make sense are suddenly "not adults" because they simply ask why this or that doesn't make sense?

Misslink88 said:

PennyPurple said:

And the only reason you and the 2 others are over here is to derail and hijack that thread. You aren't interested in Mayte, if you were, you'd have participated at the very beginning with Chpt 1.

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We were all doing fine and minding our own business, discussing the book like adults but certain people couldn't stand it. They are jelly. They just couldn't couldn't stand it.

As you know Penny, I asked earlier if I could join - a public discussion forum - and you said no. I respected that until you had finished and then I and others asked about things in the book that did not make sense. It is not derailing a thread to ask questions and discuss what Mayte wrote. People who pointed out things that didn't make sense are suddenly "not adults" because they simply ask why this or that doesn't make sense?

You can ask any question that you want Misslink, the problem starts when the same questions get asked by the same people over, and over again and they don't listen, we end up just going in circles, which get us nowhere. We can only discuss what was written in the book and try to decipher it to the best of our ability. I've made several observations on some of the things that didn't make sense in the book, but like I said, it's not OUR story to tell, it's Mayte's & she is telling HER story.

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Like I said, I've asked her several questions, which were mainly yours. I don't know if I'll get an answer or not??? I hope I do. There is nothing more I can do to get any answers, & at this point all we do is go around in circles. AGAIN, it's her story to tell.

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And really, nobody needs my permission to join anything, all I asked is that you read the BOOK and kept it civil. I said several times to several people, you don't have to agree, we all have different opinions even though we've read the same thing. But for goodness sakes there is no point of going round and round and getting nowhere.

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Just respect the people who put so much work & time into this thread and have a civil discussion.

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Do you realize how childish this all looks to the authors of these books? I've reached out to Mayte, Alex Hahn, & Laura Tiebert. And it was a great thread in the beginning, we all worked together and had a good time. And after all this work that we did on this thread now there is a chance that 52 pages are going to be hidden (deleted). That's not cool and it's pretty disrespectful for all of us who followed the rules.

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If anyone has any other questions about this thread, please feel free to orgnote me, but this is getting pretty embarrassing...seriously.

vandeluca said:

One thing I wanted to add....I don't think it is a correct assumption to say that one would have joined in the beginning. I for example, didn't own the book until Easter Weekend. It only took me a night and a morning to finish it. I have been swamped and even now I have not read all the threads. I wish I had more time but I am always busy like this at this time of year. But point being. I would have joined or contributed had I read and had time. I do plan to conribute as soon as I have time to think and collect thoughts and read all the pages.

Thanks for starting the thread and I would love to hear your answers you asked questions of.

It is a great idea. But I think it is healthy to have people NOT AGREE. I have seen the org get very catty and snarky and plain out bitchy. Though I didn't read all threads I don't see it THAT bad over here it is just people talking and agreeing (or not)

Again vandeluca, please don't think I was speaking to you, I wasn't. I realize that some people are just now getting their book and I would love to have them join. Welcome to the club. Disagreeing is healthy, but not when it goes to the extreme of the same disagreement over and over again, and name calling, it leads to nothing getting accomplished.

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So again, welcome to the book club. We are happy to have you.

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Over all, what did you think about the book?

moonsister said:

Misslink88 said:

206Michelle said:

I like Mayte. Overall, I love The Most Beautiful and I’m glad she wrote this book. She was an important part of Prince's life professionally and personally. He wrote a lot of songs about her. He loved her deeply and she loved him deeply. She was the mother of his only child. I’m glad that she shared about their son Amiir, and made very clear to the world how much she and loved their son. However, the more that I think about it, the more that I have a problem with what Mayte shared about the “troubling incident” regarding the alleged burning of items that reminded Prince of Mayte and Amiir, including the urn of Amiir’s ashes.

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I don't generally engage in character assassination of people. I generally reserve character assassination for people who do things like killing, raping, and abusing children. Otherwise, I try to abide by the adage of "condemn the action, not the person." We are all human. We all have flaws and make mistakes. So, I am not going to assassinate Mayte’s character as others are doing on this thread and elsewhere on prince.org, but I am going to criticize aspects of her behavior and writing that I think are in need of criticism.

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In my opinion, the most potentially damning detail that Mayte writes about Prince in The Most Beautiful is the “troubling incident” regarding the supposed burning of items that reminded Prince of Mayte and Amiir, including the urn of Amiir’s ashes. The more I think about it, the more I have a problem with what Mayte shared about this “troubling incident” on pp. 263-264 for three reasons. First, the “troubling incident” is heresay. Second, she writes about the “troubling incident” in the passive voice, creating a lack of clarity for the reader. Third, she shares very little about what she did to address Amiir’s missing ashes.

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To address my first point, the details about the “troubling incident” are almost entirely heresay. Heresay is a problem because she did not witness what happened. She heard about what happened. She doesn’t name the “compassionate friend” who told her about what allegedly happened during the “troubling incident.” As a result, there is no way for anyone to independently verify the details about the “troubling incident.” I don't like that she shares about the burning of items that reminded Prince of Mayte and Amiir because this is heresay, but it doesn't bother me as much as the heresay about the ashes because the items reminding Prince of Mayte and Amir are property. However, since she wasn’t there to witness the alleged burning, I think it would have been better to omit the details of the “troubling incident.” Regarding the ashes, those are human remains. Destroying human remains is a very serious matter, in my opinion. Destroying the remains of one's deceased child is a very serious matter because those are the human remains of your child.

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If Prince did indeed have his assitant burn the urn of Amiir’s ashes, this is an act that would cause me to feel differently about Prince. Would I still be a fan of Prince’s music? Yes, I would be. Would I still be a fan of him as a person? It’s harder to say, but I doubt that I could celebrate him as I currently do if I knew for sure that he had someone destroy Amiir's ashes. I can take Mayte at her word about most of what she writes in the book. However, regarding the whereabouts of the ashes, what she says is heresay, and heresay is not strong enough evidence for me to believe the very serious allegation that Prince had someone burn/destroy the ashes of Amiir, his only beloved child.

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Second, Mayte writes about the “troubling incident” in the passive voice. For the record, I am not a fan of the use of the passive voice. In my own writing, I try to avoid the use of the passive voice because the passive voice often leads to a lack of clarity. I try to use the passive voice only if the use of the active voice is clearly inappropriate. For example, I think it is appropriate to use the passive voice when talking about the weather. Weather is a complex phenomenon and there often isn’t a clear agent causing the weather. Therefore, I see no problem with using the passive voice and saying “it snowed.” Using the active voice and saying, “the sky released snow” or “the atmosphere created snow” just sounds silly. That being said, Mayte’s use of the passive voice regarding the “troubling incident” leads to a lack of clarity and a lack of certainty for the reader. In other words, by writing in the passive voice, she does not own what she is writing about the “troubling incident.”

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On p. 264, Mayte writes that “Prince's assistant was upset that he had been asked to burn everything in the house that reminded him of me or the baby” (the underlining and italics are mine). In this sentence, the use of the passive voice creates a lack of clarity by omitting the agent who is responsible for the burning. Given the context of the sentence, the reader can infer that Prince asked his assitant to burn the items; in other words, Prince is the agent. This “troubling incident” is an important detail that has consequences for how the reader perceives Prince, Mayte, and the assistant. The details of the "troubling incident" matter in the "court of public opinion." The "troubling incident" can lead a reader who is knowledgeable about Prince to speculate about whom the assistant is. However, in my opinon, the reader should not have to make this inference about agency, that is, who was responsible for the burning. Rather, Mayte, as the author, needs to be clear and certain about what happened. Unfortunately, her use of the passive voice leaves the reader unclear and uncertain about the details of the "troubling incident." Burning/destroying human remains is a serious matter, and in my opinion, it is not appropriate for Mayte, or any author, to use the passive voice when describing such a serious incident because using the passive voice leads the reader to be unclear and uncertain what happened. This is not a court of law. This is a memoir. She chose to share certain details in the book. When sharing important and consequential details like the “troubling incident,” I believe that she either needs to be clear and certain about what happened or omit the details entirely because details like the "troubling incident" can cause readers to accuse or convict individuals in the "court of public opinion."

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As a knowledgeable Prince fan, Mayte's description of the "troubling incident" in addition to my background knowledge about Prince's long-time associates have led me to infer that the male assistant is Kirk Johnson. This is a specific example of what I mean by accusing or convicting someone in the "court of public opinion." I have no idea if the assistant in question was Kirk, but it's not fair to Kirk to have a bunch of Prince fans like myself thinking that he might have destroyed Amiir's ashes and everything that reminded Prince of Mayte and Amiir.

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Furthermore, when she says "that reminded him," it is unclear to whom the pronoun him refers. Does him refer to Prince or Prince’s assistant? Given the context of the sentence, I can infer that him refers to Prince. But again, this is an important detail that has consequences as to how the reader perceives Prince, Mayte, and the assistant. Therefore, the reader should not have to make this inference about to whom the pronoun refers.

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The way in which Mayte writes this sentence about the “troubling incident,” with the passive voice and the lack of clarity regarding to whom the pronoun him refers, Mayte conveys a lack of clarity and lack of certainty. This is a strong accusation to make that Prince had someone burn Amiir’s ashes. She needs to own the accusation. The way I see it, she is obscuring the role of the Prince in this situation. Why? If she wanted to obscure Prince’s role in the situation, don’t share the situation in the first place. If Mayte believes that Prince ordered his assistant to burn everything that reminded Prince of Mayte and Amiir, she should have come out and said it assertively, such as like this: “Prince's assistant was upset because Prince had asked the assistant to burn everything in the house that reminded Prince of Mayte and Amiir." If Mayte wanted to make it clear the sex of the assistant, she could have written "Prince's male assistant was upset about Prince asking him to burn everything in the house that reminded Prince of Mayte and Amiir" or "One of Prince's male assistants was upset that Prince asked him to burn everything in the house that reminded Prince of Mayte and Amiir."

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Third, Mayte provides very little detail about what she did in order to find out about the whereabouts of Amiir’s ashes. On p. 263 she writes that she kept "asking and badgering and getting no answer," but she doesn't state whom she asked and whom was refusing to answer. I wonder why she is so evasive here. I wish that she had been more specific about whom she asked and whom refused to answer. If she asked Prince directly about the ashes and he refused to answer, then she should have written that, perhaps something like this: “I asked Prince about the whereabouts of Amiir’s ashes numerous times, and he refused to give me an answer.”

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That being said, if Prince refused to tell her what happened to the ashes, why didn’t she do more to address this situation. Maybe she did do more, but she doesn’t share that with us. However, given the seriousness of the information that she shares regarding the “troubling incident,” she opens that Pandora’s box, and needs to share more. The fact that she does not share more about what she did to find out about Amiir’s ashes makes me question the veracity of her claim on p. 263 that “only one small think truly mattered to me: Amiir’s ashes.” In particular, I want to know, Did she pursue the ashes as a part of the divorce settlement? I am no expert in divorce law. However, as Amiir's mother, I would think that Mayte had a right to assert herself regarding the whereabouts of as well as what would happen regarding Amiir's ashes. Did she make any kind of request to have a judge look into this issue? On pp. 261-262, she writes that she knew she and ’s marriage was ending, and that she lost the will to fight it. She mentions having terrible depression. I understand that this was a terribly sad situation for her and her whole world was crashing down on her. And for the record, I think that is to blame for a lot of the demise of their marriage because he was a married man and never should have been so friendly with Mani. He should not have made the sleezy “Greatest Romance Ever Sold” video. But if she cared so much about Amiir’s ashes, why didn’t she do more to find out what happened to them?

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After Amiir died, the urn of his ashes were on a shelf. Were the ashes still on that shelf when she and divorced? Before she moved to Spain, where did she and keep the ashes? If Amiir’s ashes mattered so much to Mayte, did she exhaust all avenues in order to find out what happened to them? Readers don’t know. If she exhausted all avenues in order to located the ashes, I would have expected her to share this information in the book given the seriousness of the details that she describes in the “troubling incident.” The omission of the information about what she did to find out what happened to Amiir’s ashes leads me to infer that she did not exhaust all avenues. In my opinion, given the seriousness of the issue that was the whereabouts of her son’s remains, Mayte should have been clear and certain about what she did to find out about the whereabouts of Amiir’s remains instead of allowing room for readers to make inferences about what she did or did not do. She said that she accepted the "crap offer" for the house in Spain and all of its contents because she just wanted to move on. However, it troubles me that she didn't fight harder to find out what happened to the remains of her son. As Amiir’s mother, she could have and SHOULD HAVE made the whereabouts of his remains an issue in the divorce proceedings and/or settlement.

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For all of the reasons I have just described, namely the heresay, use of the passive voice, and the lack of detail about what Mayte find out about the whereabouts of Amiir’s ashes, I have come to the conclusion that I do not have enough information to conclude that Prince had someone destroy Amiir’s ashes. All I can conclude is that at this time, I do not know what happened to Amiir's ashes. I just wish she had not mentioned the “troubling incident” at all in the book because the way in which Mayte writes about the “troubling incident” is evasive and confusing.

Excellent points. I'm left wondering how she "lost track of it" but then makes such a big deal of it in the book. Either it was important and she should have dogged it until she had it, or she realized they were "only ashes" and not even mentioned the incident since she had no real knowledge of it happening. The only conclusion I can come to for her writing about it, like some of the other incidents she mentions, is because she wanted to cast P in a bad light. As I've said before, she never relays any stories of tenderness, humor or the genius P was. The one and only time is when she speaks of him staying with their son throughout his ordeal. One has to question why, if he was such a d*ck to her, would she marry him in the fist place??

Misslink88, I have to disagree with you when you say that she wants to cast P in a bad light.

Why would she want to cast Prince in a bad light? A lot of her supporters are Prince fans. If she casts Prince in a bad light and alienates some of his fans, then that does nothing to help herself. Casting him in a bad light could negatively affect her friendships with people like Shelby J and Sheila E.

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As for stories of tenderness, humour, and the genius of Prince, she shares plenty of these in the book.

Tenderness:

- using the heart monitor in order to hear Amiir's heartbeat.

- Cutting her bangs (p. 153)

- The note on pp. 158-159

- After the earthquake (p. 167)

- The proposal (pp. 174-175)

- Wanting to wear the wedding ring while he was still engaged to Mayte

- Composing Kamasutra

- The note on p. 179

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Humour:

- Riding in the back of the flower van on the day of the wedding (p. 181)

- Prince taking her clothes (can't find the page)

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Genius

- Funk Night (p. 155)

- Releasing TMBGITW as an independent artist (p. 165)

- The 1995 AMAs (pp. 16-170)

- Her description of how he incorporated dancers as a part of the NPG (pp. 121)

- His impeccable appearance (p. 122)

Ok I am still up so I will just write a bit off the top of my head without really thinking out the response. I want to preface that I never really followed the personal llife (aka women ) of Prince to the degree many have on this site. Sure, I knew who they all were an knew tidbits from wahtever the media was feeding us. I always thought Mayte was stunningly beautiful. I am glad she wrote the book and I actually plan to reread it because though I read it well, I felt I was rreading really fast (speed reader anyway) and wanted to go over the details.

During the book there were times tjhat I felt a peice of a story was not described in depth enough or it was just menionted with more details needed but not provided. Then there were other parts that had too much uncessary detail in it.

At the end of the day, I felt sorry for her yet annoyed at the same time for not being stronger and having more guts. I have a family member that behaves in some similar ways a P did. A Narcissit. I see marked similarites with the way he treats the mother of his kids just like P did to Mayte. It is frustrating dynamic to watch. I assume the only reason P treated her the way he did as time went on was because he was a narcissit. I don't think she was lying about alot on the book, but there were some little things that didn't seem quite right to me. As silly as it was, the Dancing example I gave was one of those examples.

I also can't quite fiture out why there was such a drastic cut off from him consdiering they were in "love". I believe there is more to it (not saying sinister) than meets the eye besides just his grieving. I felt like either they had ZERO contact for a long time or she left too much out. I can't imagine that if he felt that strongly for her at one time, he would just be that cold to her unless the answer once again goes back to his narcism. Still, it seems other exes didn't have thaat issue to the degree she did.

I have to be honest I want to go back to reread this part and analyze dates...BUT..One thing that crossed my mind. I was wondering if P really wanted to even have that second child that was miscarried. It was just a feeling that I kept having while reading the book that once again, something else is there. Because, it was not that long after Amiir death (perhaps too soon), and not even that long after the miscarriage, they were pretty much done too. It just doesn't make sense or add up. Again, I feel some more details could have been inserted.

Regarding the ashes, since she didn't provide any proof besides second hand stories, I will actually assume the ashes still around and we don't know where they are. I read someone assume it was Kirk, but the story could have been written deliberately by her as a HE assistant to throw people off. In any case, since he can't disprove and she can't prove I beleive th ashes are just simply missing for now. I get being in a state of dispair that things slip you, and having houses in different countries can get mix you up where your items are..but again, she didn't really try hard enough IMO to figure out where they are if so important to her. I don't know how JW Faith sees ashes.....If they are against it, maybe he did destroy it..AGain, I had planned to analyze and research better.

I am glad that she wrote the book and I am appreciative of what she did share. She does have a right to write a book like this without being slammed for it. However, I feel we have a right to ask questions as well since the pandora's box is opened. I forget how many years the book said they were togetgher..but it was not really as long as it implies when you take account his travelling, living apart, etc. It's actually quite short. In some ways I wonder how well she really knew him. I don't think he had the capacity to stay with just one person. He always had new interest creativly and women drove his creativity. She was in the right time at the right period for him. (not belittling their relationship).

PennyPurple said:

vandeluca said:

One thing I wanted to add....I don't think it is a correct assumption to say that one would have joined in the beginning. I for example, didn't own the book until Easter Weekend. It only took me a night and a morning to finish it. I have been swamped and even now I have not read all the threads. I wish I had more time but I am always busy like this at this time of year. But point being. I would have joined or contributed had I read and had time. I do plan to conribute as soon as I have time to think and collect thoughts and read all the pages.

Thanks for starting the thread and I would love to hear your answers you asked questions of.

It is a great idea. But I think it is healthy to have people NOT AGREE. I have seen the org get very catty and snarky and plain out bitchy. Though I didn't read all threads I don't see it THAT bad over here it is just people talking and agreeing (or not)

Again vandeluca, please don't think I was speaking to you, I wasn't. I realize that some people are just now getting their book and I would love to have them join. Welcome to the club. Disagreeing is healthy, but not when it goes to the extreme of the same disagreement over and over again, and name calling, it leads to nothing getting accomplished.

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So again, welcome to the book club. We are happy to have you.

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Over all, what did you think about the book?

Don't think you should close the thread, specially not now that we may get some answers to some questions from the author herself. We are all adults and should be able to have a decent discussion. We don't all have to agree, but we can be civil.

I always liked Mayte and felt that she wrote the book out of love. She shared some very heartfelt memories that allowed us to see another side of Prince. She answered some questions I had in my mind about their time together. It was her story also and she was entitled to write about it and share it. However, nobody is flawless. Perhaps she did omit some things from the book that would explain certain incoherences, but ultimately that's her prerogative. It's her side of the story, so she portrayed it as she wished. But I'm pretty sure she could have shared other things about Prince that would perhaps not go down so well amongst his fans. He was very controlling during that period. He had many women. She could have shared those typical intimate details that would sell trash rags by the dozen. But she did not. So I'm fine with the book. But when she announced that perhaps she would write another one, that's when I started looking at it differently. I mean, why didn't she say everything she had to say in the first one? What more can she add? Sure the stories behind songs are very interesting to hear about, but why did she not include them in this book? Cause now it feels like trying to cash in on the whole purple wave ride. She got all this attention all over again, and I'm sure it must feel good, but another book? I dunno....

MMJas said:

Don't think you should close the thread, specially not now that we may get some answers to some questions from the author herself. We are all adults and should be able to have a decent discussion. We don't all have to agree, but we can be civil.

I always liked Mayte and felt that she wrote the book out of love. She shared some very heartfelt memories that allowed us to see another side of Prince. She answered some questions I had in my mind about their time together. It was her story also and she was entitled to write about it and share it. However, nobody is flawless. Perhaps she did omit some things from the book that would explain certain incoherences, but ultimately that's her prerogative. It's her side of the story, so she portrayed it as she wished. But I'm pretty sure she could have shared other things about Prince that would perhaps not go down so well amongst his fans. He was very controlling during that period. He had many women. She could have shared those typical intimate details that would sell trash rags by the dozen. But she did not. So I'm fine with the book. But when she announced that perhaps she would write another one, that's when I started looking at it differently. I mean, why didn't she say everything she had to say in the first one? What more can she add? Sure the stories behind songs are very interesting to hear about, but why did she not include them in this book? Cause now it feels like trying to cash in on the whole purple wave ride. She got all this attention all over again, and I'm sure it must feel good, but another book? I dunno....

When did she mention she might write another book?

I think that he really did want the 2nd child, after losing Amiir and they settled down a bit, I think they worked on their marriage and tried to get back to 'normal'. With the 2nd pregnancy, the were scared and didn't want to tell anyone yet, and then when the 2nd baby was lost, I feel Prince distanced himself.

Like you I felt that part of the book left me with wanting more info sometimes she was good at providing the info, and sometimes not.

You have to remember she was a lot younger then Prince but I felt she should have been more forceful also. I wouldn't have let Mani thru the door. LOL I think that she also should've been with him more and not have stayed in Spain. And in hindsight I think she did see that Prince needed her as much as she needed him.

Many people have said that when Prince is done, he's done, he was known to cut people out of his life, so that really doesn't surprise me.

I tend to believe the story about the ashes, as a mother I wouldn't just make something up like that....as much as I hope those ashes are tucked safely away somewhere, I really don't think they are. And this is another part where I think Mayte should've been assertive.

All in all I don't think this book harmed his legacy at all. She could've told lot's more things that I'm sure would have been scandulous. I will always love Prince the man and the music, in fact nobody can compare to him as an artist. But I don't always have to like what he has done.

vandeluca said:

Ok I am still up so I will just write a bit off the top of my head without really thinking out the response. I want to preface that I never really followed the personal llife (aka women ) of Prince to the degree many have on this site. Sure, I knew who they all were an knew tidbits from wahtever the media was feeding us. I always thought Mayte was stunningly beautiful. I am glad she wrote the book and I actually plan to reread it because though I read it well, I felt I was rreading really fast (speed reader anyway) and wanted to go over the details.

During the book there were times tjhat I felt a peice of a story was not described in depth enough or it was just menionted with more details needed but not provided. Then there were other parts that had too much uncessary detail in it.

At the end of the day, I felt sorry for her yet annoyed at the same time for not being stronger and having more guts. I have a family member that behaves in some similar ways a P did. A Narcissit. I see marked similarites with the way he treats the mother of his kids just like P did to Mayte. It is frustrating dynamic to watch. I assume the only reason P treated her the way he did as time went on was because he was a narcissit. I don't think she was lying about alot on the book, but there were some little things that didn't seem quite right to me. As silly as it was, the Dancing example I gave was one of those examples.

I also can't quite fiture out why there was such a drastic cut off from him consdiering they were in "love". I believe there is more to it (not saying sinister) than meets the eye besides just his grieving. I felt like either they had ZERO contact for a long time or she left too much out. I can't imagine that if he felt that strongly for her at one time, he would just be that cold to her unless the answer once again goes back to his narcism. Still, it seems other exes didn't have thaat issue to the degree she did.

I have to be honest I want to go back to reread this part and analyze dates...BUT..One thing that crossed my mind. I was wondering if P really wanted to even have that second child that was miscarried. It was just a feeling that I kept having while reading the book that once again, something else is there. Because, it was not that long after Amiir death (perhaps too soon), and not even that long after the miscarriage, they were pretty much done too. It just doesn't make sense or add up. Again, I feel some more details could have been inserted.

Regarding the ashes, since she didn't provide any proof besides second hand stories, I will actually assume the ashes still around and we don't know where they are. I read someone assume it was Kirk, but the story could have been written deliberately by her as a HE assistant to throw people off. In any case, since he can't disprove and she can't prove I beleive th ashes are just simply missing for now. I get being in a state of dispair that things slip you, and having houses in different countries can get mix you up where your items are..but again, she didn't really try hard enough IMO to figure out where they are if so important to her. I don't know how JW Faith sees ashes.....If they are against it, maybe he did destroy it..AGain, I had planned to analyze and research better.

I am glad that she wrote the book and I am appreciative of what she did share. She does have a right to write a book like this without being slammed for it. However, I feel we have a right to ask questions as well since the pandora's box is opened. I forget how many years the book said they were togetgher..but it was not really as long as it implies when you take account his travelling, living apart, etc. It's actually quite short. In some ways I wonder how well she really knew him. I don't think he had the capacity to stay with just one person. He always had new interest creativly and women drove his creativity. She was in the right time at the right period for him. (not belittling their relationship).

206Michelle said:

MMJas said:

Don't think you should close the thread, specially not now that we may get some answers to some questions from the author herself. We are all adults and should be able to have a decent discussion. We don't all have to agree, but we can be civil.

I always liked Mayte and felt that she wrote the book out of love. She shared some very heartfelt memories that allowed us to see another side of Prince. She answered some questions I had in my mind about their time together. It was her story also and she was entitled to write about it and share it. However, nobody is flawless. Perhaps she did omit some things from the book that would explain certain incoherences, but ultimately that's her prerogative. It's her side of the story, so she portrayed it as she wished. But I'm pretty sure she could have shared other things about Prince that would perhaps not go down so well amongst his fans. He was very controlling during that period. He had many women. She could have shared those typical intimate details that would sell trash rags by the dozen. But she did not. So I'm fine with the book. But when she announced that perhaps she would write another one, that's when I started looking at it differently. I mean, why didn't she say everything she had to say in the first one? What more can she add? Sure the stories behind songs are very interesting to hear about, but why did she not include them in this book? Cause now it feels like trying to cash in on the whole purple wave ride. She got all this attention all over again, and I'm sure it must feel good, but another book? I dunno....

When did she mention she might write another book?

http://prince.org/msg/5/441340

Yeah I don't care much for the idea of the 2nd book, I think in this book she covered her life with Prince and there is not much more to talk about. Of course the 2nd book could be "MY LIFE WITH TOMMY LEE" LOLOL and I don't care for Tommy Lee, so I will not be buying that book.

PennyPurple said:

PennyPurple said:

PennyPurple said:

206Michelle said:

When did she mention she might write another book?

http://prince.org/msg/5/441340

Yeah I don't care much for the idea of the 2nd book, I think in this book she covered her life with Prince and there is not much more to talk about. Of course the 2nd book could be "MY LIFE WITH TOMMY LEE" LOLOL and I don't care for Tommy Lee, so I will not be buying that book.

I read the chapter of Tommy's book where he talks about his relationship with Mayte. I enjoyed reading it and it showed a softer side of Tommy. I now think that under the facade there may actually be a nice guy. So I wouldn't mind reading her perspective on their relationship.

206Michelle said:

Misslink88 said:

Excellent points. I'm left wondering how she "lost track of it" but then makes such a big deal of it in the book. Either it was important and she should have dogged it until she had it, or she realized they were "only ashes" and not even mentioned the incident since she had no real knowledge of it happening. The only conclusion I can come to for her writing about it, like some of the other incidents she mentions, is because she wanted to cast P in a bad light. As I've said before, she never relays any stories of tenderness, humor or the genius P was. The one and only time is when she speaks of him staying with their son throughout his ordeal. One has to question why, if he was such a d*ck to her, would she marry him in the fist place??

Misslink88, I have to disagree with you when you say that she wants to cast P in a bad light.

Why would she want to cast Prince in a bad light? A lot of her supporters are Prince fans. If she casts Prince in a bad light and alienates some of his fans, then that does nothing to help herself. Casting him in a bad light could negatively affect her friendships with people like Shelby J and Sheila E.

.

As for stories of tenderness, humour, and the genius of Prince, she shares plenty of these in the book.

Tenderness:

- using the heart monitor in order to hear Amiir's heartbeat.

- Cutting her bangs (p. 153)

- The note on pp. 158-159

- After the earthquake (p. 167)

- The proposal (pp. 174-175)

- Wanting to wear the wedding ring while he was still engaged to Mayte

- Composing Kamasutra

- The note on p. 179

.

Humour:

- Riding in the back of the flower van on the day of the wedding (p. 181)

- Prince taking her clothes (can't find the page)

.

Genius

- Funk Night (p. 155)

- Releasing TMBGITW as an independent artist (p. 165)

- The 1995 AMAs (pp. 16-170)

- Her description of how he incorporated dancers as a part of the NPG (pp. 121)

- His impeccable appearance (p. 122)

In a long book, these few examples were too few. A lot of the book sheds blame on P without her taking responsibility for her actions. She wrote that she was the only one who was "real" with him and that he appreciated that but then she backs down on the issues she considers really important to her or simply does nothing. She has that conversation with him in the kitchen in LA about her parent's strange relationships and how she wishes they'd just go their separate ways, but then also brings them up as an example of why she thought she and P would get back together. She wrote that his philandering "wasn't a deal breaker" but then blames Manuela and Larry for coming between them. She's repeatedly said she didn't want the divorce but now says she filed. She's said she never got over him but was engaged to Tommy Lee (and that she still loves Tommy but not in that way, exactly what she had said about P before April). It's this kind of confusing message that makes one wonder.

vandeluca said:

Ok I am still up so I will just write a bit off the top of my head without really thinking out the response. I want to preface that I never really followed the personal llife (aka women ) of Prince to the degree many have on this site. Sure, I knew who they all were an knew tidbits from wahtever the media was feeding us. I always thought Mayte was stunningly beautiful. I am glad she wrote the book and I actually plan to reread it because though I read it well, I felt I was rreading really fast (speed reader anyway) and wanted to go over the details.

During the book there were times tjhat I felt a peice of a story was not described in depth enough or it was just menionted with more details needed but not provided. Then there were other parts that had too much uncessary detail in it.

At the end of the day, I felt sorry for her yet annoyed at the same time for not being stronger and having more guts. I have a family member that behaves in some similar ways a P did. A Narcissit. I see marked similarites with the way he treats the mother of his kids just like P did to Mayte. It is frustrating dynamic to watch. I assume the only reason P treated her the way he did as time went on was because he was a narcissit. I don't think she was lying about alot on the book, but there were some little things that didn't seem quite right to me. As silly as it was, the Dancing example I gave was one of those examples.

I also can't quite fiture out why there was such a drastic cut off from him consdiering they were in "love". I believe there is more to it (not saying sinister) than meets the eye besides just his grieving. I felt like either they had ZERO contact for a long time or she left too much out. I can't imagine that if he felt that strongly for her at one time, he would just be that cold to her unless the answer once again goes back to his narcism. Still, it seems other exes didn't have thaat issue to the degree she did.

I have to be honest I want to go back to reread this part and analyze dates...BUT..One thing that crossed my mind. I was wondering if P really wanted to even have that second child that was miscarried. It was just a feeling that I kept having while reading the book that once again, something else is there. Because, it was not that long after Amiir death (perhaps too soon), and not even that long after the miscarriage, they were pretty much done too. It just doesn't make sense or add up. Again, I feel some more details could have been inserted.

Regarding the ashes, since she didn't provide any proof besides second hand stories, I will actually assume the ashes still around and we don't know where they are. I read someone assume it was Kirk, but the story could have been written deliberately by her as a HE assistant to throw people off. In any case, since he can't disprove and she can't prove I beleive th ashes are just simply missing for now. I get being in a state of dispair that things slip you, and having houses in different countries can get mix you up where your items are..but again, she didn't really try hard enough IMO to figure out where they are if so important to her. I don't know how JW Faith sees ashes.....If they are against it, maybe he did destroy it..AGain, I had planned to analyze and research better.

I am glad that she wrote the book and I am appreciative of what she did share. She does have a right to write a book like this without being slammed for it. However, I feel we have a right to ask questions as well since the pandora's box is opened. I forget how many years the book said they were togetgher..but it was not really as long as it implies when you take account his travelling, living apart, etc. It's actually quite short. In some ways I wonder how well she really knew him. I don't think he had the capacity to stay with just one person. He always had new interest creativly and women drove his creativity. She was in the right time at the right period for him. (not belittling their relationship).

That's what was so frustrating reading the book for me, Vandeluca. I think he employed her because she was a unique element to bring to his performances, something no one had, and he was always up for something different in his shows. I have no doubt that they loved each other and really wanted a family and it's tragic that circumstances turned out the way they did. They both had different ways of coping with the loss. However, I feel there was more to the story, especially when she was in Spain, that she didn't disclose. Larry's presence came late in '98, by the time they were already finished for the most part, as did Manuela. After the divorce, they had no contact (she's stated this outright) except when she would attend a show or make contact with him. I find it bizarre that he would ask her about HIS taxes (in that phone convo), yet she wouldn't ask about urn.

One other thing I remembered actually. Maybe it is the media or maybe she has a way of changing her story. But I swear I do remember once her speaking on the Tommy Lee relationship and rhe reason for the demise. I could have sworm I heard nothing about PRINCE but rather more about what a wonderful woman/mom/wife that Pam Anderson was and that Tommy was still hung up on her in some way but that they are still friends.

Now..The story is she never got over Prince? I'm just being devel's advocate but...

Also..someone else did say what I had been thinking about...I believed he loved her for a time and was super infatiuated with the creativity taht she brought for HIM. That was all part of it. I tihnk though his candle did burn out for her at some point. I think over time grieving gets easier but it never goes away. I would never understand him not speaking with her over this whole time UNLESS he felt crappy about HIS ACTIONS and I doubt that very much. You don't have a life with someone and the lights just turn out overnight with no phone call, explanation, etc. There is so much left out I can't imagine it not being written about.

One other thing and I don't know how to say it nicely or that maybe it sounds worse than I mean it. I guess in the limited times I have seen her in video, tv, etc....I wondered about the intellectual compatability. .In the book, I just didn't feel that they were on the same intellect plane unless I am mistaking that for his control on HER and the REASON why she never said anything. I have seen this behavior from the mother of a family member's child. She will let him do or say anything, total control---yet doesn't protest so as not to rock the boat. It is pathetic on all levels and I see it here w Mayte. I also remember this same family member being totally INFATUATED with her almost the same way P was about Mayte...Married, get the dress, get a baby, move here to another country, etc...(except the wedding never happened). .The behavior in that time of this said family member was almost MANIC. Perhpas P was in a manic/impulse stage when they were together...I don't know.

I will say that Mayte surprised me. I never thought about her for gold digging, etc like I am seeing here now in comments. I made the mistake of watching a snippet that one of these threads had on her reign on the Housewife Show. I am glad I read the book BEFORE I saw that. That was not pretty and I hope that is not her real peson.

At the end of the day, the musical Genius Prince led what most would call a dysfuncdtional life in some ways, and she was the one who fell in love with him and has a story to tell. I do give her credit for not blabbing all these years. It must have driven her nuts though not to be able to speak about Amiir. But serioulsy what HOLD did he have on ALL OF THESE WIOMEN??? So strange.

I was wondering if she is the only EX Gf or wife that was truly cut off all of that time??

ncers as a part of the NPG (pp. 121)

- His impeccable appearance (p. 122)

In a long book, these few examples were too few. A lot of the book sheds blame on P without her taking responsibility for her actions. She wrote that she was the only one who was "real" with him and that he appreciated that but then she backs down on the issues she considers really important to her or simply does nothing. She has that conversation with him in the kitchen in LA about her parent's strange relationships and how she wishes they'd just go their separate ways, but then also brings them up as an example of why she thought she and P would get back together. She wrote that his philandering "wasn't a deal breaker" but then blames Manuela and Larry for coming between them. She's repeatedly said she didn't want the divorce but now says she filed. She's said she never got over him but was engaged to Tommy Lee (and that she still loves Tommy but not in that way, exactly what she had said about P before April). It's this kind of confusing message that makes one wonder.

Woke up and realized that I had posted in the wrong thread. Sorry.

[Edited 5/3/17 11:52am]

vandeluca said:

One other thing I remembered actually. Maybe it is the media or maybe she has a way of changing her story. But I swear I do remember once her speaking on the Tommy Lee relationship and rhe reason for the demise. I could have sworm I heard nothing about PRINCE but rather more about what a wonderful woman/mom/wife that Pam Anderson was and that Tommy was still hung up on her in some way but that they are still friends.

Now..The story is she never got over Prince? I'm just being devel's advocate but...

Also..someone else did say what I had been thinking about...I believed he loved her for a time and was super infatiuated with the creativity taht she brought for HIM. That was all part of it. I tihnk though his candle did burn out for her at some point. I think over time grieving gets easier but it never goes away. I would never understand him not speaking with her over this whole time UNLESS he felt crappy about HIS ACTIONS and I doubt that very much. You don't have a life with someone and the lights just turn out overnight with no phone call, explanation, etc. There is so much left out I can't imagine it not being written about.

One other thing and I don't know how to say it nicely or that maybe it sounds worse than I mean it. I guess in the limited times I have seen her in video, tv, etc....I wondered about the intellectual compatability. .In the book, I just didn't feel that they were on the same intellect plane unless I am mistaking that for his control on HER and the REASON why she never said anything. I have seen this behavior from the mother of a family member's child. She will let him do or say anything, total control---yet doesn't protest so as not to rock the boat. It is pathetic on all levels and I see it here w Mayte. I also remember this same family member being totally INFATUATED with her almost the same way P was about Mayte...Married, get the dress, get a baby, move here to another country, etc...(except the wedding never happened). .The behavior in that time of this said family member was almost MANIC. Perhpas P was in a manic/impulse stage when they were together...I don't know.

I will say that Mayte surprised me. I never thought about her for gold digging, etc like I am seeing here now in comments. I made the mistake of watching a snippet that one of these threads had on her reign on the Housewife Show. I am glad I read the book BEFORE I saw that. That was not pretty and I hope that is not her real peson.

At the end of the day, the musical Genius Prince led what most would call a dysfuncdtional life in some ways, and she was the one who fell in love with him and has a story to tell. I do give her credit for not blabbing all these years. It must have driven her nuts though not to be able to speak about Amiir. But serioulsy what HOLD did he have on ALL OF THESE WIOMEN??? So strange.

I was wondering if she is the only EX Gf or wife that was truly cut off all of that time??

In a long book, these few examples were too few. A lot of the book sheds blame on P without her taking responsibility for her actions. She wrote that she was the only one who was "real" with him and that he appreciated that but then she backs down on the issues she considers really important to her or simply does nothing. She has that conversation with him in the kitchen in LA about her parent's strange relationships and how she wishes they'd just go their separate ways, but then also brings them up as an example of why she thought she and P would get back together. She wrote that his philandering "wasn't a deal breaker" but then blames Manuela and Larry for coming between them. She's repeatedly said she didn't want the divorce but now says she filed. She's said she never got over him but was engaged to Tommy Lee (and that she still loves Tommy but not in that way, exactly what she had said about P before April). It's this kind of confusing message that makes one wonder.

Very good points

Yes, good points. I have to say that I'm also glad I read the book before watching those videos that are circulating of her in those reality shows, etc. Also, I find that her wanting to write a second book seems like a real exploitation now. I mean, it literally feels like she thought "Hey, I'm enjoying all this attention and the revenue is fine, so perhaps I shouls write another one". Honestly, i've always defended her right to write that book. It's her story and I always saw her as a gentle and caring woman. I hate feeling disappointed...

MMJas said:

Yes, good points. I have to say that I'm also glad I read the book before watching those videos that are circulating of her in those reality shows, etc. Also, I find that her wanting to write a second book seems like a real exploitation now. I mean, it literally feels like she thought "Hey, I'm enjoying all this attention and the revenue is fine, so perhaps I shouls write another one". Honestly, i've always defended her right to write that book. It's her story and I always saw her as a gentle and caring woman. I hate feeling disappointed...

IF she writes another book, I don't see how it could possibly be about Prince because she has already wrote it. If there was anything she needed to add, she should have done it that book. IMO there is nothing left to cover..Prince wise for her. Of course it could be, 'My Life After Prince'...

PennyPurple said:

MMJas said:

Yes, good points. I have to say that I'm also glad I read the book before watching those videos that are circulating of her in those reality shows, etc. Also, I find that her wanting to write a second book seems like a real exploitation now. I mean, it literally feels like she thought "Hey, I'm enjoying all this attention and the revenue is fine, so perhaps I shouls write another one". Honestly, i've always defended her right to write that book. It's her story and I always saw her as a gentle and caring woman. I hate feeling disappointed...

IF she writes another book, I don't see how it could possibly be about Prince because she has already wrote it. If there was anything she needed to add, she should have done it that book. IMO there is nothing left to cover..Prince wise for her. Of course it could be, 'My Life After Prince'...

The thing is she has already stated that she might write another book about Prince, concerning ideas behind songs and how they came about.