I feel like a terrible person because Murakami is such a popular author and has many books that resonate with its readers. They are full of meaning and metaphors, hyperboles, etc. Perfect for your college literature class. I started Murakami's 1Q84 and didn't make it past the first 100 pages, thinking I was just not in the correct headspace. It's on my shelf to try again. Maybe I'm just too uncultured to like this book, but it's Fantasy, and full of unreliable narrators, nonlinear timelines, and questioning of one's reality, and I normally like these books. However, we don't have any clear resolution, no clear outcomes, just more questions, but maybe that's me or the really long-winded story. Either one, it could be either, but the moral is this dragged on and on and didn't take me to my book-reading happy place.

this newest work of murakami, 40 years in the making, was not particularly revolutionary, but it was satisfying. there was a symmetry about it, but a mildness as well. it would almost work as a basis for a gentler wes anderson film.

told in three sections, the first follows the main character as he discusses his teenage love and his time spent in the nameless and mysterious town. for me, the beginning was a bit of a struggle to get though, and while the afterword explains it is essentially a rewritten version of a work first written decades ago, it still had a sense of spareness, or scarcity, which made it hard for me to get my footing.

the second part, and the longest part, was much more lively. this section features the main character as he works at a small, rural library and learns about all its unique aspects and regular characters. as a die-hard murakami fan, the writing of this section felt much more familiar and much more stimulating, like that of pervious works.

in the final part, worlds and characters merge and evolve. places are left, returned to, and left again. reading this book is not unlike watching 2001: a space odyssey. i will not elaborate further, because it will not help.

overall, i’m happy where this book ended up, compared to how it started. and so, i am once again caught up with all of murakami’s novels; and i’ll be here for the next, as always.

I've always enjoyed Murakami's work and this was no exception. It still retains its edge while being a very dynamic look into storytelling and craft.

This had very good lines in, in keeping with my expectations of Murakami's writing style. The themes were interesting and so were the characters. Thank you for the opportunity to read this!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy in exchange for honest feedback.

In typical Murakami fashion, he draws you and leaves you mesmerized. So happy to have gotten this as an ARC. Feels similar to past works.

A nameless narrator's quest for his teenage love begins by understanding the division of self when he first meets the girl he'll think about for the rest of his life. Sitting with his newly found girlfriend, also nameless — as is nearly everyone in this book, she explains that the version of her he's meeting isn't her true self, just her shadow self, and that her real form is down within the walls of the city where he cannot go. Within a year or so, she has vanished and he is distraught, but time passes. Now 45, the narrator stumbles into the very place he's longed to visit — the city, but his journey is just beginning and the must grapple with losing himself to gain access.

My first Murakami might very well be my last. I can see the draw and why readers would return to his particular storytelling, but I don't know if it's for me. I'm not sure what I expected, but "more" seems an appropriately succinct summation.

Murakami has an interesting approach to his themes: loneliness, outsiders, and a search for contentment with individuality — painting his canvas with broad but uncertain strokes that he will most assuredly recover or revisit. His narrator's voice is close with his first person and even addressing his love directly as "you" in the beginning, but the emotional distance of the novel is so removed as to have been excised or freed of its tether. Murakami's magical realism clearly stems from his own boundless, panster approach to wherever the story takes him. In that way, it was fairly boring for me — if you don't know where your ultimate destination is, just call me when you get there and spare me the details. That just rarely interests me in fiction, but I understand why it works for some.

That being said, I really liked the idea of his strange tale, if not the execution. His love of jazz is evident, not only in the many times he mentions jazz artists and music, but in the circuitous way he constructs his narrative, which is an interesting juxtaposition from his spare writing style when examining the words alone. He bats around curious themes, dancing on the surface of his own thoughts, and the examination of self, belonging, and purpose are nicely placed inside his clear love of libraries and the value of books.

However, knowing the circumstances surrounding this story's origin, Murakami's approach here seems an especially masturbatory expression of his ideas. (Is the reader even a consideration?) What began as a short story in 1980, which he's never wanted republished, first morphed into a previously published novel, Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World (1985), where he continued his attempt at unraveling the core of his ideas from the shorter magazine published iteration.

Now, with The City and Its Uncertain Walls (2023) (published in English in 2024), spurred on by the COVID-19 pandemic's isolating influence, Murakami is having another go, which lends the "Okay, but also" quality to this newest version. Even the dialogues felt like oversimplified reasonings of an oft-repeated mantra. Perhaps that is the reason that this story, as I read it, felt very low stakes — having covered the fresh ground long ago, now retreading his own footsteps.

Lovely writing from Haruki Murakami that takes you to ethereal worlds. It leans a lot more towards world building and fantasy than I care for and lost the thread of the story in the middle. Would recommend to those who enjoy the more mystical realm and beautiful prose. Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first Murakami novel, so I can't really say how it compares to his other work, but I did like this. There were some bits in the middle that I found to be a bit slow, and I found that information that we already knew seemed to be repeated at times, but overall this was a good story.

While I usually dive head first into Murakami's worlds, this creation felt constantly out of my grasp. It really reminded me of Kazuo Ishiguro's The Buried Giant. I wanted a deeper, fulfilling narrative than the usual trip down memory lane and revisiting lost loves. While the writing is enjoyable to read, it didn't feel new.

It's not Murakami it's me? I'm not sure but I just find his books repetitive and boring now. The themes have been done to death. Norwegian Wood remains one of my all time favorite books, so I always want to try, but I think our paths are diverging.

Thank you for access to this ARC. Unfortunately I will not be able to read this and give it a proper review. I apologize, and if I have time to properly review it I will return to it.

I was very excited about this book. I am a big fan of Haruki Murakami and have read a lot of his books. This I felt kept his tone while also being experimental. The point of view was interesting though the unnamed characters made it a little difficult to get fully invested. Not my favorite but still enjoyed it.

a slow, withholding, uneventful, challenging read about childhood and memory, dreaming and nostalgia, introversion and success, love and humanity.

Thank you Knopf and NetGalley for the eARC of The City and Its Uncertain Walls! All opinions in this review are my own.

This was my first book by Haruki Murakami and I can see why so many people like him. Murakami's writing is beautiful as he weaves deep stories about people, their grief, and relationships to each other. The slow pace coupled with the short chapters makes this an excellent read to curl up with on a cold winter day.

The Afterword reveals that this was a novel long in the making and Murakami explains the structure of the story.

The City and Its Uncertain Walls is a story that stays with you and I will be thinking about it for a long time.

I'm a Murakami newbie and I feel ill-equipped to even try to put my review of The City and Its Uncertain Walls into words.

The City and Its Uncertain Walls is about a middle-aged man who is still hung up on the woman he loved as a teenager. Despite their plans for the future, she leaves him behind always wondering what could have been. He finally decides to journey to the city behind the wall that she always spoke of and finds her there, still 16, working in a library. The rest of the story, honestly, I don't think I could do justice by describing. It was thoughtful, entertaining, and left me thinking of it long after I finished. I am eager to pick up Hardboiled Wonderland, which I now know is the sister story to this (Which was originally a novella published in 1980).

In "The City and Its Uncertain Walls," Haruki Murakami expertly weaves a tapestry of magical realism and introspection, inviting readers to explore the boundaries between reality and fantasy. Through three interconnected stories, Murakami delves into themes of love, identity, and the human condition.

The characters, caught between their everyday lives and an otherworldly realm, embark on philosophical journeys filled with symbolism and unexpected encounters. Murakami's atmospheric storytelling transports readers into a world where walls shift, and realities blur.
Familiar elements such as melancholic young lovers, enigmatic cats, and allusions to music and literature will delight fans of Murakami's previous works. While some may argue that the author revisits well-trodden themes, "The City and Its Uncertain Walls" stands as a testament to Murakami's distinct narrative voice.

This novel offers a captivating and thought-provoking read for Murakami enthusiasts and serves as an ideal entry point for those new to his enchanting blend of magical realism and introspection.

Haruki Murakami's The City and Its Uncertain Walls is an exploration of love, loss, and identity, set against the backdrop of a mysterious walled city where the lines between reality and fantasy are blurred. I probably should not admit this as a former English major, but this was actually my first book by Murakami, and I can see why so many readers and critics alike extol the author's virtues.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me.

A haunting tale reminiscent of 1Q84 in the very best of ways. Reminiscent of Kazuo Ishiguro at his best, with something of a more tragic overtone.

This story was far more than I expected and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to it over the weekend. Haruki creates two vastly different settings that merge and overlap throughout the story. The characters have depth and flaws that make them easily relatable and I found myself truly caring for their wellbeing. The magical realism is at the same time slight and all-consuming. I love how unique the story is, centered on a person’s shadow and what would happen if it becomes separated from its person. There is an undercurrent of a love story but, to me, that wasn’t the main focus. This is a story about finding your true self no matter what may be happening in the world around you.
Brian Nishii did a wonderful job building the atmosphere and making these characters come to life! I was completely entranced with the story because of his impeccable delivery. This is another book I’d suggest listening to if you’re a fan of audiobooks.