Monday, July 1, 2019

Until the Mountains Fall by Connilyn Cossette




If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the dead man shall not be married outside the family to a stranger. Her husband’s brother shall go in to her and take her as his wife and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her.-Deuteronomy 25:5 ESV



I love Biblical fiction. You can never exhaust the riches found in scripture. I am always amazed at storytellers who take scripture and teach us something about grace and God. Until the Mountains Fall is one such story.

Until the Mountains Fall, by author Connilyn Cossette is the 3rd book in her Cities of Refuge series. In the Old Testament, a city of refuge was a place where a person could go if they had accidentally killed another person, and are a beautiful picture of the person of Jesus. You can learn more about the cities of refuge in Joshua 20 and Numbers 35. In her latest novel, Cossette tells us the story of Rivkah, the daughter of the head priest, who lives in Kedesh, one of the six cities of refuge.

As the story opens, Rivkah is being given in marriage, a levirate marriage, to her late husband’s brother, Malakhai, and she is not happy about it. Gidal, her late husband, has just recently died, and her father has arranged this marriage very quickly to Malakhai, whom she has known since childhood.

According to Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary, a levirate marriage is “a form of marriage prescribed by the Law of Moses in which a man was required to marry the widow of a brother who died with no male heir. The term “levirate” means “husband’s brother.” The purpose of the law was to provide an heir for the dead brother, thereby preserving his name and estate. The law also was designed to provide for the welfare of the widows. (Deuteronomy 25:5-10)”

Because of her displeasure about the marriage, Rivkah takes matters into her own hands, and makes a very poor decision. She doesn’t understand how Malakhai feels towards her, and she flees Kedesh.

I love the story. But at the beginning of the story I did not like Rivkah. She made me so mad! As readers, we can see things the characters cannot see. So, we can sit on the other side of the pages so to speak, and scream, “Noooo! Don’t do it!” But alas, they make their own choices anyway. She was unhappy, which I get. But she was throwing away something that would be good for her, even though she couldn’t see it.

Later on in the novel, my heart softened toward Rivkah. Slowly, the author was able to weave some sympathy and compassion for her into the story and into my heart. I felt very much connected to Rivkah and began to really like her. Just like this story's main character,  I have made my own choices and ran from people who loved me into great trouble and distress. But God was there to clean up my mess, pick me up, and help me start over. God is always looking out for us.

I don’t want to give away all the details or surprises of the story, and there are many, so I cannot say much more. But it is worth it to follow the journey of Rivkah and Malakhai to find out how their story unfolds. I cried multiple times as I traveled the road with them. God is a God of rescue even in our darkest hour.

I recommend this book highly to anyone who loves biblical or historical fiction. Cossette has taken just one small portion of scripture and taught us so much.

I also recommend this book to homeschooling families who have high school age students. If you follow the Charlotte Mason philosophy of education, this could be considered a great living book for studying ancient civilizations and the Bible.

As a way to celebrate launch day, which is Tuesday July 2, I will be giving away two copies of Until the Mountains Fall on my blog! Please leave a comment and tell me if you have ever read any biblical fiction before, and if so what do you like about it.  I will randomly choose a winner from the comments on Friday, July 5th. (Open to U.S. residents only.)

*Update:  The winners of the copies of Until the Mountains Fall are Aryn the Libraryan and Jennifer Hibdon!  Congratulations! Please send your address to bethlisteningtohim@gmail.com, in order to receive your book.  Thank you so much for participating, and I hope you enjoy Until the Mountains Fall!










To learn more about the author, please visit her website at https://www.connilyncossette.com/.

To learn more about all three books in the Cities of Refuge series, please click on each book title.


A Light on the Hill

Shelter of the Most High

Until the Mountains Fall

To read an interview with the author, go here to Library Lady's Kid Lit blog.
Disclosure Statement: I received a copy of this book from the publisher. The thoughts and opinions expressed here are entirely my own.


23 comments:

  1. I can't seem to get enough of biblical fiction! Between connecting the dots between contemporary passages of scripture to grasping a little more what life was probably like, etc. It adds life to what can sometimes feel distant or disconnected.

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  2. I've read lots of Biblical fiction and I love it! I feel like it makes the Bible more real to me to have full stories behind the characters. I got my start with Liz Curtis Higgs' "Bad Girls of the Bible" and haven't stopped reading Biblical fiction since!

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    1. I love it for the same reason, that it makes the Bible come alive!

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  3. I've read some Biblical fiction - some is better than others ... I've read both of the previous two of Connilyn's City of Refuge series and really enjoyed them. I feel like they have encouraged me to dig deeper into the Old Testament and see God's compassion at work.

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    1. StephC, I enjoyed them too!! That's a great point to bring out about seeing God's compassion in the Old Testament. He does not change.

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  4. I frequently read Biblical fiction when I can. Like for many others, reading about people and events set in Biblical times makes the Bible come alive in a more personal way by giving me characters I can relate to on a personal level. For example, reading in the Bible about the 40 days in the desert and the parting of the Red Sea is fascinating, but it is even more so when I experience it in the slowed-down way that Biblical fiction allows. It helps me to understand the people in the Bible even when I want to shout out them for not seeing something that's obvious in hindsight. In addition, it helps make books of the Bible that are often overshadowed by others, as well as people and events that are only present for a little bit of the Bible, more memorable.

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    1. I love your insight about seeing the biblical even in a slowed down way. That is exactly what happens! And oh, yes, stories do cause things to stick with us!

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  5. Yes I have read biblical fiction... I love this series AND her Out from Egypt series!! I love how she brings characters to life, it helps me to see that the people we read about and learn from in the Bible have lives and we’re real people with real stories, real struggles and a VERY real God!

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    1. I love both series too!! Yes! I love that God becomes bigger when we these stories!

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  6. Yes, I have read some biblical fiction and love it. I really like being transported back in time to places that really existed to hopefully get a feel of what it was like for people back in that time.

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    1. I enjoy that part too, getting to experience a different time in the Bible!

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  7. I love biblical fiction and this is one of my favorite authors! Martha@lclink.com It opens up the Bible and makes me see it in a real way.

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    1. I love Biblical fiction too Martha and it does the same for me!

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  8. Oh, this sounds so good!!! I love Biblical fiction! It is like a window opened into their life! Thanx for the giveaway!!!

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    1. That's a great analogy, "a window opened into their life." Thanks for stopping by!!

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  9. I love any book that shares the lives, the sorrows, and the joys of the people in history that laid the track for all of us. Biblical fiction allows me to be “almost there” as all these characters’ lives unfold and at the same time, while my book is open, I feel like I’m having special time with our Lord and Savior.

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    1. I love this. I love that it makes you feel closer to Jesus.

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  10. I’ve read another of Connilyn’s books & lived it. I’m looking forward to reading this one.

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  11. I have read many Biblical fictions and I enjoy them very much. That's why I have also translated three of your boos in Romanian so that others could enjoy reading them too. Thank you!

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