Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart

I had to return this to the library before I had the chance to read the introduction (which, thanks to a teacher in high school, I always save for last; after all, the introduction was written after its author read the book, and I've found that this order makes much more sense). It's unfortunate, because I wanted more insight on why the book is such a vaunted classic.

Although I can appreciate the intimate capturing of a way of life and a mode of thought, and although it added depth to some of the West African art I'd studied, I was a bit disappointed by the literary value, which didn't seize me the way a classic often does. In retrospect, the austere style was somewhat reminiscent of Hemingway, although without the lucid dialogue. It was simple, straightforward, and captured a sense of the oral storytelling tradition, although I wasn't particularly entranced or engaged.

Anybody want to step in here and enlighten me?