Could I have your views on Joseph Conrad's novel "Lord Jim"?

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In this novel published around 1900, the protagonist Lord Jim was a youthful Chief Mate in a vessel "Patna" carrying 800 passengers to Macca. During the voyage, the vessel hit a derelict Norwegian ship-wreck and Jim found that sea water was entering into its front. When people are shifted in life boats, Jim too inexplicably went away in the boat deserting his duties as Chief Mate in the vessel. Later the "Patna" did not sink and it was towed to shore by a French vessel with passengers alive. An enquiry was conducted on the Officers of the ship and Jim's mariner's license was cancelled. Later Jim gradually moved to East Indies islands shifting jobs and finally reaches an Island called "Patusan" as an employee of a trader. There he became friendly with the leader and his son of a local tribe. At this point, the novel reaches its climax. A group of pirates led by one "Brown" try to loot the godown of the trader. The local tribesmen prevent it and confine them. Much against the pleading of the local tribesmen, Jim, unnecessarily offers truce to Brown permitting him to leave without a conflict. While leaving, Brown treacherously shots down Dain Waris, the son of the tribal leader. Aggrieved, Doramin, the tribal Leader shots dead Jim. This is Jim's tragic end. Some critics compared Jim's tragedy to Shakespeare's Hamlet. Full text online version of the novel, you can see at http://www.online-literature.com/conrad/lord_jim, along with some of the comments made by readers there. I always get a feeling that 21st Century novels are losing their readability owing to their tediousness. Though of early 20th Century Conrad's novel also appears to be tedious.