Reviews for Pattern formation in the physical and biological sciences

The average rating for Pattern formation in the physical and biological sciences based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2014-03-06 00:00:00 Irina Loshinsky I enjoyed this story a lot, although it was heavier on the historical setting than I usually prefer in my fiction. But that's kind of this author's specialty, and I expected it going in, so it didn't bug me too badly. I've read some about the early days of the Methodist movement, so I was able to connect some pieces and characters, which was fun. :) And I was totally blown away when I realized that Catherine, and more especially her brother, were actual historical figures, one of whose name I would have known if I'd paid a bit more attention to my hymnbook... That was amazing! Phillip's struggle in particular was very well done, and I appreciated the tension between wanting to be faithful to the established church but not being allowed to serve except outside its bounds. I also liked seeing some of the real struggles and triumphs of the early Methodist field preachers. Not knowing the history, I was a little surprised by some of the events at the end and how they more or less took over the narrative, but it fit with what would have shaped the lives of people at the time, so that's not really a complaint. Recommended for anyone interested in Methodism, church history, rich historical settings, or un-sugarcoated, true-to-history characters. :) Content--mentions of mobs and violence; mentions of cursing; mentions of drinking and drunkenness; mentions of deaths; mentions of bad theology prevalent at the time

Review # 2 was written on 2012-04-24 00:00:00 Diana Robinson Donna Fletcher Crow loves history. In Where Love Begins, Book 1 of her Where There Is Love series, she has done a fabulous job of weaving a romance into a story that makes eighteenth century England leap to life. I loved recognizing historical people like Charles Wesley, George Whitfield and Countess Huntingdon, hearing bits from their correspondence and the current hymns and seeing them interacting as real people. These early Methodists struggled with their own weaknesses as they tried to be "salt" in the Church of England of their day and even "saints" come into conflict. Little references to powdered wigs and dress fashions remind us that we are not in the nineteenth century so common to Christian fiction. The Methodist "societies" were active in itinerate preaching, prison ministry and social action so this love story has plenty of opportunity to explore the world of chimney sweeps, debtors prisons and rough travel as well as the salons of high society and the health spas of Tunbridge Wells. The gospel as understood by these "enthusiasts" is well explained, but never overwhelms the story of Catherine Perronet and Philip Ferrar, as they seek God's will first above their personal feelings for each other. This is evangelical history and not just Methodist history, and Crow leads us to examine our own lives and motives in comparison to our spiritual forefathers (and mothers) who gave up so much.