Rating: 
Summary: GREAT
Review: The concept of this book was to shoot candid photographs of women doing their normal activities in the morning, following on the successful book done with men in the morning. The purpose was to get the real person behind the polished facade of the famous. Ms. Vial wanted to see "raw, real, natural . . . no makeup, no posing, I wanted their souls." Each photograph was done without additional lighting and was based on a few candid rolls. The book notes the time when the photograph was taken in most cases. Most are from 7 to 10 a.m. The images catch the subjects in bed (alone, and with pets, a mom, children, and men), bathing, showering, with kids, wearing robes, wearing no robes, dressing, exercising, smoking (too many of these), brushing their teeth, drying their hair, putting on make up, having coffee, meditating, making breakfast, eating breakfast, and even working. The concept works best for those who are still half conked-out while they are being photographed, and those who are not professional models. The bright-eyed professional models look just as great as they would on any fashion shoot. It's testimony to their talent for posing without direction. The book contains lots of notes about the subjects, both written in calligraphy and in printed captions at the end of the book. The book would have been a lot better with much more editing. Many of the images add little, other than to make the people look bad. Some of these women looked like they were coming off an all-night drunk or a drug-based party. The images here would often earn the book an R rating if it were a motion picture. There is total nudity in some cases, but of the modest sort. A major drawback to doing candid shots in available light is that many of the images end up looking like semi mug shots, because the light was so poor. I feel that more of these should have been eliminated. The brief foreword by Sean Penn didn't do anything for me. I suggest you skip it. One of the touching photographs in the collection is of Demi Moore in bed with her dying mother. Other touching images include mothers playing with their children, pregnant woman struggling with their temporary girth, and women with their pets. Despite the limitations of the book, I liked many of the photographs either because they did give a window on the soul or because the woman was just so beautiful or interesting that she overcame the circumstances of the photography. Here are my favorites: Reese Witherspoon; Helena Christensen; Uschi Obermaier; Julia Stiles; Laetitia Casta (7:17 a.m. and under water); Ingrid Seynhaere; Emily Watson; Mia Kirshner (2); Sophis and Tess Medina; Charlotte Flossant; Amanda De Cadenet; Emma Thompson (2nd one); Dyan Cannon; Frederique van der Wal (2); Diane Warren; Eileen Ryan Penn; Debbie Morgan; Sofia Coppola; Sigourney Weaver (2); Joely Fisher; Lisa Marie; Lumi Cavazos; Angie Everhart; Cheryl Tiegs (2); Gina Gershon; Lois Chiles; Jennifer Beals; and Emmanuelle Sallet. After you finish enjoying this book, I suggest that you do your own version of this photography with the people in your family. Get them at various times in the day when they are at their most open. It will make a wonderful scrapbook! Find the natural person behind the prepared mask and response, . . . and cherish them!
Rating: 
Summary: Candid Shots of Sleepyheads and Fast Starters
Review: The concept of this book was to shoot candid photographs of women doing their normal activities in the morning, following on the successful book done with men in the morning. The purpose was to get the real person behind the polished facade of the famous. Ms. Vial wanted to see "raw, real, natural . . . no makeup, no posing, I wanted their souls." Each photograph was done without additional lighting and was based on a few candid rolls. The book notes the time when the photograph was taken in most cases. Most are from 7 to 10 a.m. The images catch the subjects in bed (alone, and with pets, a mom, children, and men), bathing, showering, with kids, wearing robes, wearing no robes, dressing, exercising, smoking (too many of these), brushing their teeth, drying their hair, putting on make up, having coffee, meditating, making breakfast, eating breakfast, and even working. The concept works best for those who are still half conked-out while they are being photographed, and those who are not professional models. The bright-eyed professional models look just as great as they would on any fashion shoot. It's testimony to their talent for posing without direction. The book contains lots of notes about the subjects, both written in calligraphy and in printed captions at the end of the book. The book would have been a lot better with much more editing. Many of the images add little, other than to make the people look bad. Some of these women looked like they were coming off an all-night drunk or a drug-based party. The images here would often earn the book an R rating if it were a motion picture. There is total nudity in some cases, but of the modest sort. A major drawback to doing candid shots in available light is that many of the images end up looking like semi mug shots, because the light was so poor. I feel that more of these should have been eliminated. The brief foreword by Sean Penn didn't do anything for me. I suggest you skip it. One of the touching photographs in the collection is of Demi Moore in bed with her dying mother. Other touching images include mothers playing with their children, pregnant woman struggling with their temporary girth, and women with their pets. Despite the limitations of the book, I liked many of the photographs either because they did give a window on the soul or because the woman was just so beautiful or interesting that she overcame the circumstances of the photography. Here are my favorites: Reese Witherspoon; Helena Christensen; Uschi Obermaier; Julia Stiles; Laetitia Casta (7:17 a.m. and under water); Ingrid Seynhaere; Emily Watson; Mia Kirshner (2); Sophis and Tess Medina; Charlotte Flossant; Amanda De Cadenet; Emma Thompson (2nd one); Dyan Cannon; Frederique van der Wal (2); Diane Warren; Eileen Ryan Penn; Debbie Morgan; Sofia Coppola; Sigourney Weaver (2); Joely Fisher; Lisa Marie; Lumi Cavazos; Angie Everhart; Cheryl Tiegs (2); Gina Gershon; Lois Chiles; Jennifer Beals; and Emmanuelle Sallet. After you finish enjoying this book, I suggest that you do your own version of this photography with the people in your family. Get them at various times in the day when they are at their most open. It will make a wonderful scrapbook! Find the natural person behind the prepared mask and response, . . . and cherish them!
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing, throwaway follow-up
Review: This book, a companion (?) to 'Men Before 10,' is a desultory followup that lacks almost all the charm, depth, warmth and perceptiveness of its predecessor. Maybe it's the absence of the element of surprise that made 'Men' so special. The subjects here look self-conscious and posed, the circumstances sadly lacking in spontaneity and individuality. It looks as if Vial was saying, "OK, now jump on the bed. Brush your teeth. Take a shower. Play with your dog. Have a cup of coffee." The women, according to the notes at the end, are almost all 'actress,' 'model' or 'actress/model' -- where's the entrepreneurs, film directors, the painters, the authors -- heck, the OLD people -- we saw in 'Men?' In order, perhaps, to cram in more indistinguishable pictures of naked bathing beauties, Vial's amusing, brief descriptions of the shoots have been shrunk even further -- even the type is tiny -- and jammed onto one page at the end of the book. Many get no description at all, while the few that are described in the body of the book are written in an irritatingly artsy, hard-to-read type. There's nothing comparable to Pam Houston's charming narrative counterpoint (Sean Penn's tossed-off introduction doesn't even merit a second glance) that made the first book more like an intimate conversation about the private moments with the men we adore
Rating:
Summary: A new look at supermodels...
Review: This is an excellent book. It gives the viewer a new way to look at supermodels. Kinda' a behind the scenes view..except that it is way early in the morning... check it out!
Rating:
Summary: Amazing
Review: Truly an amazing concept. The images capture the essence of the modern woman... sans her veil of protection. Check out the pic. on page 69 *Stephanie Smith)
Rating:
Summary: A carefully planned work
Review: When I first read this book I have exactly the same though as another reviewer "A Reader from N.Y.". It has been planned too carefully and "artificial" and I believe "real" women before 10 a.m. is something you won't be interested to look at twice. However those who like to look at pretty women and b/w photos this is quite a good one.
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