The System of the World, by Neal Stephenson

At least The System of the World provides a few fine set-pieces to enliven the end of the Baroque Cycle. Somewhat. Isaac Newton, the Tower of London, Alchemy, the Hannoverian Succession, all mixed up and 900 pages long. Too long to say much. [For reference, my unhappy review of Volume 1, ditto Volume 2]


From the bookchallenge list:

500+ pages (892!)
classic romance (sort of a doomed romance. That's classic, right?)
set in a different country
from an author you love that you haven't read yet
based on a true story (well, with a number of historical personages)
at the bottom of your to-read list (Not in the sense of being the last one, but I looked about and decided which book I LEAST wanted to read. This is why I got through this long before my 2019 deadline)
a trilogy (Yes, it comprises three books: Book 6 – Solomon's Gold ; Book 7 – Currency ; Book 8 – The System of the World -- additionally, it is the third volume of the Baroque trilogy)
with magic (Alchemy counts (in this case))