This isn't my usual sort of story, but I'm very glad I read it (Thanks to Becky). The opening hit home, of course; the Williams family could've been my forebears, after all.

From that, I got sucked in, enjoying Billy's exploits, feeling proud of both him and his sister, as well as Grigori Peshkov, who I also liked. Then, there's the history - the sheer and overwhelming scope of the First World War, and as events move on you really do get into these people's heads and feel for them. It's an excellently written character work, with the tone set by the period and the real historical events serving only to enhance the drama.