Haruki Murakami's "The City and Its Uncertain Walls" is a bit of a mixed bag. The story starts off strong with an intriguing concept of a mysterious walled city and a touching young love story. Murakami's writing is as poetic as ever, painting vivid scenes that blend reality and fantasy. However, as the book progresses, it starts to lose steam. The plot meanders, especially during longer sections, and I found my attention wandering. While there are moments of beauty and insight scattered throughout, they're often buried under repetitive descriptions and slow-moving plot points. Fans of Murakami's dreamy style might find plenty to enjoy here, but for me, it didn't quite capture the magic of his earlier works. It's not a bad book by any means, but it didn't leave me as spellbound as I'd hoped.

So this was my first time reading a Haruki Murakami novel. I got an eARC from NetGalley on my kindle and now I am giving my review of the book. I don't want to give a star rating because I did not finish the book and I don't think it is fair to give a star rating if I did not finish the book. Nevertheless, I will give a rating due to what the site requires.

The book was not to my liking because it had too much magical realism and I don't like books like that. I like it when the magical realism is subtle that it doesn't change the story. That the magical realism seems real. It's just a preference thing. No hate to the book no hate to the author it's just I didn't enjoy it because I like things to be more logical.

I really liked this book. Like all Murakami books it was not a light or easy read but it was immersive and the story lingers long after you are finished reading it. Lyrical and unforgettable.

This novel was probably the most dreamy and magical story I’ve read all year. From the walled-in city and unicorns to the untethered shadows, I can’t recall one moment where I wasn’t entirely mesmerized.

What at first felt to me like a love story quickly became a beautiful discovery of one’s self and the willingness to let go of the past and stay present.

Written with a commanding voice and strong detail in the surreal landscape, I felt as if I could step into the pages of this dreamscape and forever lose my shadow.

Overall, this is a wonderful novel that will take you on a magical journey into a made-up world. Escape your reality for a bit and savor this one.

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have had a long history with Murakami's work and was worried that this novel wouldn't hit me the same way now that I am older. His novels strike me as YA although they aren't intended that way. They are almost always about searching for yourself, which I guess isn't exclusive to the YA genre. The City and Its Uncertain Walls is beautiful. The first part is told in a beautiful second person narration that reads like a love letter to a lost love. I was enthralled with the emotions and memories of my own past loves that the prose evoked. What a powerful skill Murakami has to take readers back into their own pasts to relive emotions. I felt that the second part wandered a bit as the narration changed I found I missed the intimacy of the first part, but of course that is the point. I wish I could explain the plot of even the characters in greater depth, but this isn't that sort of book. There isn't a destination or even a climax just a pure journey of feelings.

I am a huge fan of Haruki Murakami. He is one of my three favorite authors, and I have read everything he has written. So, I might be coming from this book from a different perspective than the casual reader. I really enjoyed this book, and I appreciated it much more after finishing it. This is classic Murakami. However, I would not recommend this book if this is the first time you’re reading Murakami as the writing and themes may be too subtle for the casual reader. I would suggest reading some of his other books first before reading “The City and Its Uncertain Walls.”

Another great book by Murakami, hopefully it won’t be his last.

I have not read Murakami before (I know, I know) - and now I am reminded why. Having not read his previous works, I had no experience of the worlds he's describing/revisiting here, or of how, exactly, to read him. I was so intrigued by the concept he laid out here, but just could not for the life of me feel connected to it. I have picked his books up, drawn time and again to the fabulous and evocative covers, the brilliant titles and the compelling blurbs, only to find that a quick flip never grabs me, so I put it back down for "a better time". Unfortunately, I'm starting to think there is no "better time" for me, and that his writing style - brilliantly clever and lyrical though it is - just isn't a good fit for me as a reader. I'm wondering if audiobooks may be the way to go here - that way I could let myself fall into the music of his language and descriptions, without feeling compelled to try so hard to follow what's going on...

I read a little about this book before requesting an early copy, and found that much was said about it's similarity to the author's novel "Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World". There were also mentioned comparisons to Gabriel Garcia Marquez due to the amount of magical realism in the novel.
I just want to say, without re-hashing the plot or giving a synopsis, which is readily available in other reviews, that I thought it was difficult to find something that I did NOT like about Murakami's latest novel "The City and Its Uncertain Walls'". What is there not to like about a story that is much like an eloquently told fable, complete with unicorns, and libraries; only one of which includes books. The other; peoples unread dreams. A city where you have to leave your shadow at the door, permanently, then your shadow becoming an entity that may never forgive you this betrayal!
Part love story, part fairy tale, part mystery, this has become my favorite novel of his. This having originally been a short story he wrote almost 40 years ago, is a testament to his maturation as a writer over the years. Brilliant!
Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for the advance reading copy!

First, things I did like: This is certainly a strange little book, and it challenged me to think about what was truly happening and what that meant for the story overall. There are many oddball plot points and weird little details included, which mimics how life truly is, since you never really know what's going to be important until you get past something and have the hindsight to go, Oh, that's what that meant! I also really enjoyed having the context from Murakami's note at the end that he worked on this story basically his entire career. I'm sure if I had read more Murakami, I would really appreciate how this work meshes with his entire library. I also think if you're just in the mood for a Weird Story, this would work for you.

Now, things I struggled with: I was never sure what storyline to follow — the perspective changed a few times, going from first to second then back to first. It felt like the story ended up coming to a good circular conclusion, but again, there were so many loose ends and unanswered questions and (ba dum tsh) *uncertain* elements. I think part of these loose threads might be the fact that Murakami, like I said, originally wrote only a small part of this and published it in a little journal, but decided it wasn’t right and worked on it his whole career, seriously committing to it during the pandemic. And in typical Murakami fashion, the women in the story were all considerably younger than our main character and consistently sexualized for no apparent reason/bearing on the plot (so if you are sensitive to this, just know that). Even after talking through the whole plot, I’m not sure what the message/point of the story was, other than being entertaining and strange. Some of that I suppose I can chalk up to things being lost in translation, but I also think this is just a Weird Story. I’m glad he was finally able to get this book over the finish line, even though I can’t say it was my personal cup of tea.

I have read everything Murakami has had translated into English and I must admit this is the first one that didn't really capture my imagination. I think it's because he's retreading older works - hardboiled wonderland and the end of the world takes place in the same location - but it didn't capture my imagination the way his other works do - and the whimsy was lacking.

I may try it again later but for now it just wasn't for me.

I absolutely love it. I look forward to seeing the finished product and what may change. I only took .25 stars off because of a couple of small issues that I believe are because of it being an ARC and not a finished product

Thank to NetGalley for the ARC of this beautifully written novel. A tale within a tale within a tale - woven together masterfully.

I'd been impatiently awaiting this novel's November release since hearing about it late last year, so imagine my delight when I was invited to read an ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher!

The City and Its Uncertain Walls is a subdued reintroduction to a world familiar to those who've read Hard-boiled Wonderland & the End of the World (yet not inaccessible to those who have not). Reading this felt like a dream, at times meandering & intangible, while eventually arriving at an inevitably enigmatic conclusion.
The feeling tone dovetails nicely with other Murakami novels, not unlike the individual characters' unique experiences within the city walls.

Not surprisingly, I was pleased to find several of Murakami's typical mentions - you'll be able to mark off quite a few squares on your Murakami Bingo card.

Several brief passages felt reminiscent of reading The Chronicles of Narnia for the first time.
One character, in particular, brings a gentle Sage/Shaman energy (much like C.S. Lewis' professor/guide). These two similarities plus my love for Murakami were enough to win me over, & there is still much to discover within the pages of The City and Its Uncertain Walls.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Knopf!

I absolutely loved the fantasy world in this book. I feel deeply connected to Boku and got emotional when he befriended a boy who has autism. Another poignant, beautiful work by Murakami!

This was my first book by Murakami, I've always been curious but haven't picked one up yet. This book has magical realism and a dreamlike quality. It had me connected to the characters even though they weren't named. To me that makes it easier to insert myself into the narrative. It was a touching and thought provoking novel.

It is a slow-burn book but it also got a bit boring in the middle. I found myself losing interest, but it did finish beautifully. I plan to read other works by Murakami.

Thank you Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor |and Netgalley for allowing me to read an early copy of this book for an honest review.

Can we truly become our authentic self?

This is the question Haruki Murakami attempts to answer in his latest novel, The City and its Uncertain Walls. It was already released in Japan in April 2023 and will be released in the United States this November.

Murakami tells the story of an unnamed protagonist that is chronicling his life from his lovesick teenage years until middle age. Throughout the story, the main character grapples with the disappearance of his true love and embarks on a quest to locate her in an imagined city. However, in that process, our protagonist gets separated from his shadow and has to find a new life for himself as a head librarian in a small town far away from his birthplace of Tokyo.

The first part of the novel focuses on the teenage relationship between the protagonist and his true love. Murakami ponders the agony of a first love and becomes overly fixated on it, which I find excessive. However, he lays the groundwork for where the novel truly takes off in the second and third parts of the story.

The remaining parts of the novel focus on the protagonist taking a job as a small town head librarian. He was recruited by an enigmatic individual who had a sole interest in hiring him. The protagonist and the man develop a relationship which adds to clues of about the imagined city and how one can reconnect with their lost shadow. Also, the protagonist connects to a young boy that loves to read and comes to the library often. The boy doesn’t speak and has no social skills, but adds another layer to the protagonist’s search for his true love.

Murakami masterfully brings these elements together into a novel that I will consider a minor masterpiece. The City and Its Uncertain Walls have all the classic Murakami themes of loneliness, ache, identity, and surrealism within an urban landscape. This is my fifth Murakami novel I have read and will be my favorite one of them all, just edging out A Wild Sheep Chase. The City and its Uncertain Walls is a love letter to books, reading, and the magic they can provide for someone that does not always fit in with society.

The translation by Philip Gabriel was sublime and made for a great reading experience. Also, I would like to thank NetGalley for this advance copy I received in exchange for an honest review

Thank you for letting me read this book. I have read many of Murakami's novel and greatly enjoy his work. This was everything I expect from him and I would definitely recommend it to others.

I wish I could keep this review short and just say EVERYONE NEEDS TO PICK UP THIS BOOK. However since I can't do that, I'll just talk your ear off about it. Haruki Murakami always finds a way to pull on my heart strings and make me think about my life in such a different way than before I read it. Especially with this one, I felt like I had a whole new outlook on life by the time I was done with it.
To make a long story short, I am OBSESSED with this book.
Thank you so much to Netgalley, Haruki Murakami, and the publishing company behind this title who allowed me to read this book before the release date.

Haruki Murakami is truly a talent. His books are always captivating to me, and I have been waiting for this one to come out in English since it was announced. Murakami has a way of writing his worlds that suck you right into them. Each of his books is different but has that classic Murakami feel to them. This book is a good addition to the Murakami collection. Philip Gabriel is a great translator, and I really like the way he worked with Murakami's story and translated it into English. The characters are interesting, and I enjoyed following them throughout the story.

One of the strangest Murakami novels yet. Although I've seen some reviews saying that this is "classic Murakami" it actually doesn't have, or only ever so briefly includes, a lot of his standard tropes and storytelling devices. It has perhaps the most surreal and dreamlike narrative of any of his novels, the plot is so aimless and the story so "uneventful" it almost makes Killing Commendatore or Kafka look like Michael Bay movies in comparison. I wouldn't even really argue with someone who says this book doesn't have a climax (the closest thing to one happens within the first 1/3 of the book).

Unlike Killing Commendatore, which I found to basically be the "ultimate Murakami," in that it contains essentially every trope Murakami has ever used, The City and Its Uncertain Walls at least feels like something new, probably the first book of his to feel like that since Kafka (even though I like KC more than Kafka to be honest). Which is a bit ironic given just how heavily this borrows from Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World (which is one aspect of the book I really haven't reconciled with yet).

Anyways, I realize I'm not really giving any real critical assessments or whatever so far, but this is probably the most oblique and open to interpretation novel that Murakami has yet written; and for me personally, that doesn't really bother me at all. There were a lot of moments that created such a vivid picture in my mind and were so striking, and I really enjoyed being back in Murakami's world again. This is definitely one that I'm going to be thinking about in the months to come and one I plan on rereading before the year's over (probably when my hardcover edition arrives). But one thing I'm not unsure of is that I definitely enjoyed this one, and I look forward to how my relationship with the book changes over time (pretty much all of his fiction resonates differently with me now than they did on first read).