I read the Heart of Darkness (admittedly not under ideal circumstances: for English class with a teacher that wasn't very inspiring, though that didn't stop me from liking most books)... and it consistently put me to sleep. The vaunted atrocities described are less scary than what historical accounts of the Congo show. A bunch of people get killed - maybe I'm jaded, but it didn't move me. There's doom and gloom and the European colonist feels bad about being there. Eh. The Old Man and the Sea had more action.

Maybe I should try re-reading it, because people generally like it. But I just found it entirely unappealing.