Rare Book Review: Adriane My Life with Ayrton by Adriane Galisteu
Positives
Negatives
Adriane Galisteu’s book ‘My Life with Ayrton‘ when it was published in 1994 after the death of the great Brazilian caused a few waves at the time. It’s also one of the few F1 books I’m aware of that has been written by a driver’s WAG (wife or girlfriend). Co-written by Nirlando Beirao, Galisteu’s book […]
Adriane Galisteu’s book ‘My Life with Ayrton‘ when it was published in 1994 after the death of the great Brazilian caused a few waves at the time. It’s also one of the few F1 books I’m aware of that has been written by a driver’s WAG (wife or girlfriend).
Co-written by Nirlando Beirao, Galisteu’s book starts with the tragic weekend at Imola and her realtime reaction to the TV footage of Senna’s accident at Tamburello. The book then flashes back to her first meeting with Senna as a Shell girl and his gradual courting. As her relationship develops, she provides little bits of information about Senna’s mood or personality after various GP races.
Photography wise this book is also a little unusual – there are almost no race photos of Senna in his McLaren Honda! There are only a few scattered photos of Senna off track and some personal shots together with Adriane.
These days this book is very hard to find and because its not written by a driver, professional author or motorsport journalist – there are some parts of this book that reads like a romance novel of a young model swept off her feet by a motorsports champion but it also at times offers a very different personal perspective to the public image of Senna the intense racer. Galisteu’s book is often like her diary with Senna off the track in between races. It’s almost two storylines in one book.
If you can put aside the chunky double column layout which can sometimes disrupt the flow of the text, you know you’re reading something a little different. Due to its rarity now, I would probably also add that most diehard Senna book collectors will regard this as an essential item to any collection.
Wow factor/money shot: Introduces the reader into Senna’s inner circle of personal friends. Senna fans are offered tidbits of information about his character and personality – even his music CD collection.
Suitable for: Senna fans
Hi, do you recommend buying this book? Do you think the author is sincere in her writings about Senna? I’m sceptical, because the book was released the same year he died. Isn’t that a bit rude? Anyways, I like your review.
When the book was published, the author received a lot of criticism for trying to cash in on her relationship with Senna. Its definitely a different perspective from other Senna books. I would recommend it if you can find a cheap copy which is quite hard these days. It is a hardcover but the pages are quite thin, so you would need to inspect a copy to check quality before buying it.