Agree on Moby Dick. I forced myself to read it recently. It was a painful experience.
Don Quixote was horrible.
James Joyce makes you miss Don Quixote.
Dickens had good stories but got paid by the word, so was long winded and boring.
Balzac was pretty good.
At least The Old Man and the Sea had the decency to be short.
But hands down you’re never going to outdo Dumas’ Count of Monte Cristo. Great story, moves well, and reads like a summer blockbuster.