I read this book a few years ago as part of my required reading for my university course....and hated it. Perhaps hate is too strong a word. I had a strong aversion to it. A STRONG aversion to it. 
 Why? This book made me feel stupid. I just did not 'get' it at all - like, any of it! I had no concept of what on earth was happening, what on earth the metaphor was and what on earth the point of the whole thing was! Reading it was one long struggle as the text was unbroken by chapters and there are very few paragraph breaks (I am unsure if this is a stylistic decision or if this was just in my edition). I battled through though, despite every single monotonous word giving me a blinding headache, expecting to finish the book feeling victorious. But no, I just felt stupid. There was no breakthrough moment of understanding, I did not see the light and I ending up with no answers to my myriad of questions. 
 I hope to reread this book someday in the hopes of reforming my judgement, so, this is all for now. Until we meet again, Mr Conrad.