The Virgin's Knot: Holly Payne

This was a fantastic book, but ended so sadly. Characters kept being introduced while the story progressed and eventually they all met up. A young girl, Nurdane, loses her mother when she is born and is taught by her father to weave after she gets polio. Her father kept preaching to her and the townsmen that her hands were a gift from Ali. He wanted to make sure she would have a way to support herself after he passed away since no one would probably marry her. Her weavings become famous in town and are thought to be magical and blessed. Her doctor falls in love with her and though she doesn't know, she believes he sees her as he wants to- her fixed and walking, instead of who she actually is. Then a man, Hennessey, comes in search of the goddess he believes used to be worshipped in Turkey and falls in love with Nurdane. She befriends him and shows him a cave with the goddess markings. Nurdane confesses to him that she wishes Allah had not given her the gift of weaving, but had instead made her whole so she could marry. The whole town seems to know the doctor is marrying her and that the rug she is working on is actually for her. Nurdane does not know and when Hennessey learns of it he is upset that she is being given away like livestock. On the morning of the weddings, Nurdane gives her hand back to Allah, what I don't understand is if she realized she would bleed to death or if she thought she would live without it...