Among Women

Rating:
Summary: A spirited look at the girls next door!
Review: As a photographic picture book it is very small and has 96 pages. However, I'm glad hard covers were chosen instead of soft to give the book a long library life. The book is worth returning to.

All the images are B&W and yes, one might find some of the plates too masculine depending on what one looks for in pictures of nude women. I'm certain the photographers, Tom Bianchi's background has its effect on how he makes his pictures, but isn't that just how it should be?!

In the opening words of the book there is insight into the layout;"Women are engaged in a justifiable, ongoing struggle to cease being defined by men, who too often consign them to narrow roles".

I do not like all the pictures,(many I like) but trough the perspective I got reading the forewords I still like to return to this book.

Rating:
Summary: It's about the women, not about sexiness
Review: I believe Bianchi captures women in two ways here -- beauty and love. They're not supermodels (though the "Women of Anti-Gravity" certainly could hold their own against any catwalk strutter or Sports Illustrated swimsuit model), they're simply women. By leaving the viewer to interpret what they see, from women in intimate moments to frolicking with each other to simply being, Bianchi succeeds. I hope he considers making another all-women book soon.

Rating:
Summary: Not recommended.
Review: I see so many criticisms of this book that the women are to "manly" and it lacks "femininity". Hello people? It doesn't take a genius to see that, and it obviously was not an accident. The book offers a *new* perspective on women and captures aspects of the personalities of these models which may go against the grain of society. Sadly, it seems people miss the point and expect petite feminine models, and walk away dissapointed without them. That's not what these photos are about. These photos are about women full of life, feeling, and their own brand of personality. Bianchi pushes the typical limits and challenges the viewer rather than placating him/her with tired traditional concepts of the female nude.

Rating:
Summary: Worthwhile, but only for the nudes of the dance group
Review: The only reason to buy this book in my opinion is for the black and white photos of the dance group, called "Anti-Gravity." The photos were taken on the beach, and are quite beautiful and artistic. The photographer has done well to capture the grace and beauty of these strong, naturally attractive women. I only wish, these were the only photos in the book. The other chapters do not have many good photos. They seem uninspired photos that are lacking in spirit, quite in contrast to the ones of the dancers. Also, the women, unlike the dancers, are mostly women that many heterosexual men would probably find unattractive. To be fair, I suspect this is a situation where beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, so perhaps lesbian women might find the other women attractive.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Book If You Want True Erotica
Review: This book is without a doubt simply one of the best erotica books period. What seperates this book from others is this one simple thing: most of the women are showing true emotion and one of the things that every genuine person absolutely has to have. That one thing is a smile. Even though many of the women are not drop-dead gorgeous, it is obvious that they are enjoying themselves by smiling and putting forth true emotion as well as using postures that are welcoming and inviting. One of the big reasons that Tom Bianchi was able to accomplish this is because he asked many of his female friends to pose for him. There are enough books out there with women who are beautiful and attractive, but they look plastic, like mannequins. The overall best pictures in the book deal with a group called Anti-Gravity. The women in these pictures could hold their own with any of today's well-known models, and in a lot of ways they are better simply because...they're smiling. If you want a truly remarkable book, this one has to be it...period.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Book If You Want True Erotica
Review: This book is without a doubt simply one of the best erotica books period. What seperates this book from others is this one simple thing: most of the women are showing true emotion and one of the things that every genuine person absolutely has to have. That one thing is a smile. Even though many of the women are not drop-dead gorgeous, it is obvious that they are enjoying themselves by smiling and putting forth true emotion as well as using postures that are welcoming and inviting. One of the big reasons that Tom Bianchi was able to accomplish this is because he asked many of his female friends to pose for him. There are enough books out there with women who are beautiful and attractive, but they look plastic, like mannequins. The overall best pictures in the book deal with a group called Anti-Gravity. The women in these pictures could hold their own with any of today's well-known models, and in a lot of ways they are better simply because...they're smiling. If you want a truly remarkable book, this one has to be it...period.

Rating:
Summary: Poor
Review: Very Interesting. The bad coments from you, North Americans, lead me to by this book. Do you know why? Because I know your likes: pasteurized and plastic models. So, I thought this book could be exactly the oposite. And I was right! And excelent way to show the feminility without masks. A real artist photographer. If you are looking for plastic dolls models that's not the book.