The Virgin's Knot
Written by Holly Payne
Narrated by Bernadette Quigley
3.5/5
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About this audiobook
In Mavisu, a village in the mountains of south-west Turkey, there is a young woman called Nurdane. She is very beautiful with long black hair and unlucky blue eyes. She contracted polio when she was five and is severely crippled. But her father Ali teaches her to weave to compensate for her disability. He tells her that when Allah takes something away, he gives something in return - the loss of the use of her legs is compensated for by her skill as a magical weaver of dowry rugs for brides. But there is a catch: Allah will only continue to make rugs through her if she remains a virgin and keeps her hands pure. How can such a burden not end in tragedy? This is a compellingly readable, beautifully written novel It weaves magical, evocative images into a narrative full of beliefs, superstitions and wisdom.
Holly Payne
Holly Payne is an award-winning filmmaker and triathlete who teaches screenwriting at the Academy of Art College in San Francisco. The Virgin's Knot is her first novel.
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Reviews for The Virgin's Knot
29 ratings3 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5In 1950's (?) Turkey, in a remote village, a young woman, Nurdane, hand-weaves traditional rugs that are rumored to be like the rugs of no other weaver. One of Nurdane's rugs, as a dowry gift, will supposedly bring the bride luck and fertility. However, Nurdane herself, painfully afflicted by polio, seems doomed never to be a bride herself. Superstition holds that if ever a man touches her, she will lose the gift that Allah has placed in her hands.
However, not one but two men are fascinated with the weaver - a western anthropologist in search of a rug to take back home, and the educated doctor who has treated Nurdane's crippled legs for years.
This book is Payne's first novel, and the characters and the twists of the plot are well-crafted and effective. However, the writing can seem a bit awkward or overdone at times. I feel that future books by the author may be even better.... - Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5i got confused since I was not sure when the story takes place. But the characters wereinteresting, but at times the books was very slow. the end was surprising and fast and I had to read it twice to understand what just happened.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I thought this was a beautifully written book. I could almost smell the carpets being woven and feel the calluses developing in my own fingers. Ms Payne is a force to be reckoned with. I hope she writes more books