Rating: 
Summary: Needs research
Review: As a retired librarian whose hobby is weaving, I looked forward to reading The Virgin's Knot and found the book to be very readable. Payne gives the reader valuable insights into Muslim society and its treatment of women while deftly avoiding a trite "hollywood" ending. This having been said, there are several reasons that I did not rate this novel higher.
First, there are many inaccuracies regarding textiles. For example, she refers to "woven socks". Turkey is noted for its intricately patterned and vividly colored knitted socks, which are, in some cases, collectors' items. The rugs woven in Turkey at that time would not have used merino wool, but wool from native sheep such as fat tailed sheep. It is also questionable that pile rugs would be wedding rugs, kilim rugs which are flat woven were used for this in Turkey.
Finally, while Payne has an admirable writing style and can be quite lyrical in her descriptions, there are a number of descriptions that should have been picked up by her editor. For example, in describing the landscape, olive trees with dustly leaves lend the aspect of "sequins" to the topography; "shiny" and "dusty" seem antonymic in my mind. In another section shadows cast on the weaver's face from her loom are described as net like. While this description certainly serves to reenforce the trapped nature of the weaver's situation, the actual shadow would have cast stripes of shadow since the woven portion would have been solid.
As a first effort, Payne has written an interesting book and I will read her second.
Rating: 
Summary: GREAT BOOK CLUB SELECTION!
Review: "Poetically written!" "Page turner!" "Engrossing!" These are just a few phrases I would use to describe this beautifully written and magical novel. Payne's ability to paint a picture of life in rural Turkey in the 1950s is remarkable. Her character development and scene depiction are so descriptive, I still feel attached to the main character, a rug weaver, weeks after finishing the novel. I love books that provide insight into the human condition, and this book definitely does not disappoint. I look forward to reading more works by this incredibly talented and intellectual writer.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding!
Review: Amazingly vivid - the reader becomes truly captured in the intensly intimate plot. Great story, great characters, great novel - buy it now!Great work Holly - UR is proud of you.
Rating:
Summary: great story idea - horrible ending...
Review: Because i am enamored with middle eastern carpets, rugs, and foods,people, etc., i was recommended this book by a bookseller in san mateo, ca.. i found the writing somewhat sappy and melodramatic at times, but i was also looking for content...i wanted to read about not only the rugs, the culture, but the mindset of the people... so, i read on and was saddened and disturbed by the gruesome ending. was that REALLY neccessary? the author needs to rewrite the ending and re-release the book and she needs a GOOD editor to help her with this. thanks.
Rating:
Summary: Remember the Gordian Knot
Review: Holly Payne has a wonderfully evocative writing style, and has crafted a psychologically complex main character. A number of reviewers were disappointed or upset by the sudden, violent ending of the book. I didn't see it, however, as an 'out' for the author, but rather as a culmination of the Gordian myth with which she begins the book. Payne very intentionally gives an account of the myth of the intricate knot tied by Gordius (the Gordian Knot). The expression "to cut the Gordian knot" refers to solving a difficult problem by a sudden decisive action (remember that in the myth the knot was not carefully and logically unknotted, but slashed with a single sword stroke). So one might conclude that the "Virgin's Knot" of the title is not, as one first suspects, all those knots composing the Turkish carpets -- but rather the Virgin's (Gordian) knot: how to solve her complex and complexing situation. This book is a wonderful read -- on the surface for the beautiful word choices, and on a deeper level for it truths. [Its complexity could make it a very good assignment for a university's women's studies or psychology class.]
Rating: 
Summary: A beautiful world in a flawed book
Review: Holly Payne weaves a beautiful world of mountains, sky, light, and art in the beginning of this novel about a polio-stricken young weaver. At some point about halfway through the middle of the book, after having been swept up in the language, the character of Nurdane, and the depictions of village life, I started to feel increasingly frustrated with her writing. While the character of Nurdane is beautifully realized, the other characters, especially the men, are flat, even caricature-like. Their motivations, although central to the unfolding of the plot, remain opaque at best. Secrets, deceptions, and secondary plots are hinted at then abandoned. The anthropologist on his goddess quest--unlikely in any academic setting, especially in the 1950s--appears to be included in the story mainly to provide comic relief. The most compelling element in this story is Nurdane--her faith and her strength. Her disability has apparently made her ineligible for marriage, but as a respected artist she is allowed more freedom than most unmarried women. However Payne uses language that obscures more than it illuminates, so the reader is often confused about what Nurdane is really feeling or thinking.
Payne rushes into an inexplicably violent ending that destroys the mood of the book. Nurdane's actions are completely out of character, they violate her faith, her sense of self, and the complicated love she and her father share. Instead of illuminating the world of a Moslem woman in a little-known part, of the world Payne has ended up with an unevenly written book with a grim, sensationalist conclusion that would keep me from recommending it to anyone. I can't help but think that thoughtful critiques by other readers, including Moslem readers, and a thorough job of editing, might have saved this book, and let Payne express the beauty and strength of the Turkish village people and their artistic traditions as well as the restrictions faced by village women. Payne obviously means to show that patriarchal traditions are repressive for women, but she has also created a strong female character whose faith is an integral part of her. The ending obscures any kind of complexity in the relationship Nurdane has with her religion, with the men in her life, and with her own gifts.
Rating:
Summary: A beautifully woven tale!
Review: Holly Payne's first novel is colorful and beautiful like a well spun Turkish rug. She guides you through a muslim world set in a small mountain village where myth, art, faith, and language are intertwined.
This novel brings perspective, and insight into the islamic culture especially during this time of misunderstanding.
A great read!!
Rating:
Summary: A Beautiful Promise Unfulfilled
Review: I had great hopes for this novel, for Ms. Payne is capable of writing beautifully and creates characters that the reader comes to care about very deeply. However, this is a terribly flawed work. The author does not use quotation marks or "he said"s and "she said"s to indicate dialogue. The effect is sometimes confusing and made me stop my reading and go back to verify who was saying what. Also, both author and editor should know that the correct word used to describe a potential suitor is "prospective" and not "perspective." The plot begins to degenerate halfway through, with the author treating the characters and events like chess pieces which she awkwardly manipulates. However, the worst offense is the ill-conceived ending, as Nurdane's actions in no way reflect what has gone before. It seems like Ms. Payne takes a wonderful, flesh and blood cast of characters and turns them into cardboard cutouts. I felt immensely disappointed with The Virgin's Knot, as Ms. Payne obviously has an enormous amount of talent. Too bad she did not make consistent use of it.
Rating: 
Summary: Maybe soon...
Review: I had the pleasure of being one of the first to read this book when it came out, and I loved it. There are few times I have read a book when I have been grabbed by the neck, thrust into the story, walking right alongside a character like Nurdane, and truly given as out of body an experience as I think is possible to have. I too was taken for a sensory journey through the aromas and mysticism of turkey in the 1950's that I find hard to forget. From what I know this is the first novel from this author. I do think there are opportunities for the author to mold her craft thru her future works. But I suppose the reason I am not spending a lot of time talking about those items is I guess because to me, Holly Payne shows a tremendous amount of promise. That promise is what comes through more loudly than anything in this work. Her description, the sensual writing style, and the power with which she conveys here thoughts are, to me, impressive. If you are looking for a powerful and emotional experience I would recommend this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Such a disappointment
Review: I had tremendous excitement when I purchased this book, as it seemed to hold the promise of many themes of importance to me: the craft of rug weaving, feminism, the desire of the artist to express his vision. However, after page 3 I knew that the promise would not be held.
Meandering plot, uninspired prose, flat characters (that could have been very rich), inattentive writing ("she ate a Turkish apricot"...of course, she plucked it from a tree in Turkey, where else would it have been from?), confusion due to lack of dialog tags reinforced by lack of clarity of speakers, weak research, and the most aggravating of all, incorrect spelling and mangling of the Turkish language when used in dialog. That I could not forgive, as it cast doubt on the entire premise of authenticity. The ending is jarring, awful and absurd.
This book does have some nice passages, it exudes a quietness, but it truly was one of the weakest stories I have ever read.
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