I understand it is (or was) required reading at one or more of the military academies. It is an enjoyable novel that exudes lessons about leadership, two army officers with contrasting methods.
Also talks about some of the timeless themes of the sacrifices and stresses of military families and living in a military environment, military politics, and so on. Being a military brat, I can attest to the accuracy of the themes...:)
My wife is teaching herself to paint, and just painted this for me the other day, so you can see this book is one of my favorites: