The full unabridged Moby Dick is a real treat. Knowing the gist of the story is fine but all of the various diversions in the full novel turn the novel into a really surreal otherworldly experience. Patience really pays off when reading Moby Dick.
I've read some long and convoluted fiction, but I keep getting stuck on Moby Dick. It just seems to go nowhere for the longest time.
Much like sailing around looking for the white whale.
There are some parts of story-space that cannot be expressed, because the audience would not bother to read them
I kept getting lost in the diversions so much I felt they took away from the story. I'd love to read a version with them all removed. I feel like it would be 1/4 as long.
There are a lot of abridged versions available, but I can't recommend them. I read one when I was a young teen and was left unimpressed.