People recommend books all the time - and in fact 'Birdsong' wasn't recommended to me, I fortunately just came across it - but a week after finishing the book the images and characters are so thoughtfully and dramatically developed that they remain with you long after you have finished. As a previous reviewer points out the first part of the book is very different to the second part but works brilliantly because of this contrast - I would urge you to read this book.....