Old Testament: No time wasted on characters

I was challenged to read the Old Testament, under the theory that Mormons tend to ignore reading most of the Bible in favor of The Book of Mormon.  In my own defense, I've studied the bible and am very familiar with the stories, but have never read it cover-to-cover.

So I'm now mostly through Genesis and just getting to the good part.  I've read Genesis before, but it was as a teenager, and I don't remember much about it. I remember thinking how it was possible that so many people and so much of history--from Adam to Moses--was squeezed into that one fairly short book.

And now I know.  Genesis wastes no time in character development.  It's a book retelling events in very short order.  Cain and Abel get less than a chapter for their whole story.  Noah comes and goes in a single night's reading.  Abraham and Isaac get a few more pages, but again no time spent on letting us know much about them--just which kids they have and by whom.  (I'm exaggerating for effect--I know that the story of the sacrifice of Isaac is good drama and good character development.)

Jacob gets more time, especially his relationship with Laban, so far, and I know that his relationship with his sons is about to take center stage.  Joseph's story is really the most detailed of Genesis.

Plus, I know all the songs.