I recommend very few things... and especially not novels.. it's so subjective. With Watership Down I took the risk and did recommend it to.... well, not a lot but several friends. Some read it, and loved it... but most dismissed the idea of reading it as soon as they heard it was about talking rabbits.

And that makes sense, I can understand that. Of course the novel is so much more than that... but to convince someone of that? Next to impossible. - JamesJM