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    The Virgin's Knot
    The Virgin's Knot
    The Virgin's Knot
    Audiobook9 hours

    The Virgin's Knot

    Written by Holly Payne

    Narrated by Bernadette Quigley

    3.5/5

    ()

    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.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateMay 16, 2017
    ISBN9781543613544
    The Virgin's Knot
    Author

    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

    3.5/5

    29 ratings3 reviews

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    • 3/5
      In 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....
    • 2/5
      i 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.
    • 5/5
      I 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