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While it won't provide an in-depth view of the methods, it manages to convey enough detail to understand the basics. A must have for anyone desiring to enter the exciting field of Molecular Modelling.
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The plot is perhaps the weakest element of the book, but this is not a story that revolves around its plot. The plot points are merely the catalysts that propel these wonderful characters forward. We meet Pinkie, a mere seventeen-year-old, who has found himself in the unenviable task of becoming the head of a criminal organization that is embroiled in a power-struggle with an even larger, better-funded gang. In his world, Pinkie is fighting not only for dominance in his gang, but also battling for territory and control in the town of Brighton. However, he also encounters a strange conflict from an unlikely source: a fun-loving, cheerful, iron-willed woman by the name of Ida.
Ida comes into the story by the most unlikely of coincidences, and is determined to investigate what she feels is a grave injustice. She plays a great foil to Pinkie's character, even though the two of them rarely meet. The only downside that I saw to this fascinating person was the fact that after her fantastic introduction she seems to be coasting through the rest of the novel on autopilot. For a normal book, this would be perfectly expected, but Greene set the bar very high for himself here, especially with this character's motivation, and it just seems a bit jarring when not everything maintains an equal level of excellence.
Greene brings in quite a lot of thought to this novel. Religion, love, spirituality, and death are not things that one expects to undergo detailed analysis on the pages of a crime thriller, yet Greene approaches all of these with maturity and understanding. Each character (bar a handful) is given believable motivations. There are some plot pieces that are predictable, but that only means that I was daring the characters not to go the way that they did, and genuinely upset when they did unfortunate things, even though I had anticipated them. Greene draws on so many ideas to breath life into his novel. He places familiar concepts into irregular characters, and unfamiliar concepts into regular characters; the results are often wonderful and thought provoking.
As I mentioned, I'd not read a Graham Greene novel prior to this, but I certainly plan on doing so in the future. Greene packed quite a bit of careful thought into this intelligent thriller, and the outcome is as exciting as it is reflective. Gripping and spellbinding, this is definitely worth reading.
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This book, written by mainstream theologians, who are, by and large, not mad, gives that lie to that experience based assumption. You get: Considerable historical fact and a critical approach to what we can know of historical truth combined with an excellent cross-reference and most importantly, a refusal to shy away from the difficult areas of Biblical history.
Highly recomended as a reference work, even if the US cover is considerably more garish than the UK version.
"Dictionary of the Bible" offers over 400 pages of readable entries, quoting chapter and verse, on a wide variety of topics, from the sacred (Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection) to the mundane (on topics such as straw, footstool, and reaping), and includes numerous maps and charts.
W.R.F. Browning bring his Anglican heritage to the task, and the result is entries that should satisfy all but the most orthodox Christians. Those who believe in the literal accuracy of the Bible will object to Browning's discussion of the various interpretations of such topics as healing, miracles, and the authorship of the books. He describes the book of Revelations, for example, as "an embarrassment to the Church. Its bizarre imagery has been incomprehensible or misunderstood. Apocalyptic sects have used it as a handbook to predict the future. Many Christians have found the apparent gloating over the defeat of the Church's enemies to be morally repulsive."
But for the most part, Browning did not intend the dictionary to hew to a particular theology. On topics such as Jesus' reasoning behind his use of parables, he recaps the major controversies without showing a bias toward a particular position.
"Dictionary of the Bible" is a valuable reference work that provides an excellent starting point for understanding the meaning of Christianity. It is clear, concise, and challenging to the intellect.