A mysterious old man, who calls himself "Jones, not Mr. Jones, just Jones", has a very unique habit of showing up in people's lives just when things look their worst. He is a beautiful old soul, with bright blue eyes and shocking white hair, who never seems to age. He wears jeans, a tee shirt, sandals and carries an old suitcase that he never opens wide enough for anyone to see inside. Jones easily befriends others and shares his gift of being a "Noticer". He sees what others miss, and helps by giving people a different perspective of their problems.

This is one of the most beautiful, heartwarming and inspirational stories that I've ever read. I adored Jones and ended up taking so much from his simple philosophy. When I started this book, I had thought I'd read a couple of chapters and then get on with my daily routine, but I couldn't put it down! It was entrancing, and before I knew it, I was finishing it, knowing that my life would be just a bit different because "Sometimes, all a person needs is a little perspective." A truly touching story that should be read by everyone! ( )

The Noticer by Andy Andrews

Orange Beach, Alabama is a simple town filled with simple people. But like all humans on the planet, the good folks of Orange Beach have their share of problems - marriages teetering on the brink of divorce, young adults giving up on life, business people on the verge of bankruptcy, as well as the many other obstacles that life seems to dish out to the masses.

Andy is a guy down on his luck living under a bridge in Orange Beach, Alabama. Depression and fear grip Andy but just when fear and hopelessness are about to tangle him up he meets Jones an old guy with white hair wearing jeans and flip flops. Under the that bridge Mike sees the first glimpse of Jones gift of wisdom which he calls his gift of being a noticer. Jones explains to Andy some lessons on life and adds a little perspective to his situation and tells Mike he has been given a gift. He hands him three books autobiography's starting with George Washington. These three books open Andy's eyes and throughout the story we find Andy has read threw two hundred bios, picked up his life becomes successful marries and is happy.
Later he runs into Jones again and watches how Jones effects the small towns people. People who are flawed and full of problems, marriages on the verge of divorce, young adults ready to waste their lives. Business men going broke and people just in the gutters.

During the first few chapters I thought this was going to be another Inspirational climb these seven steps to a better life. Give all your money to church because God is a ATM machine…you slip your card in you get some cash back!! Thankfully it didn't follow those footsteps but focused on the steps of becoming a person that uses wisdom. The Jones character made this readable. It was written in a way that held my attention but I guess for me I didn’t get the concept. Reading biography's of other peoples success and drama just didn’t jive with me. Although I did see who the Jones character was representing and how the general message of being a person of integrity and a person that other people can depend on and trust leads to success in life and in relationships. Jones touches every character in a way that each problem can be addressed. Where each storm the person is going threw can be overcome with hope and the right direction.
Basically this a story of wisdom and learning from your mistakes. Being a person of integrity, how to speak and address people how you look at yourself and building yourself into a wise person. Also with that wisdom of life's lessons to pass on to others and plant seeds of encouragement. ( )

My first book for the book club I joined at work. A 2009 release, very motivational and empowering.

The book is a set of short adventures that revolve around people who live in the same town. A man, Jones, has a special gift of noticing things about people they would never notice. He meets Andy and shows him the path and opens his eyes to the future he could have if he only changed his way of thinking.

It was a very quick read, very enjoyable, and enlightening to read. Helped me see and think differently about how I may pursue things in the future, or to be more aware of situations and surroundings. ( )

I really wanted to like this book. I respect the author, appreciate the publisher, and was interested in its premise. So it was with some anticipation that I dove in. I had a hard time finding a pace with the story. It felt a bit like the author had grabbed the ideas from a handful of other gems books and tried to condense those into a chapter each (i.e. the early chapter about Jan & Barry sounds very much like Chapman's Love Languages), making it feel a bit jerky in pace. Jones was an interesting character, but too vague. I understand that his mystery is part of the point, but there wasn't enough there to grab on to - Is he God or an angel? Does he disappear or is he traveling elsewhere? I didn't hate this book; in fact I'll probably pass it on to my parents next. I think it is likely one that will either really resonate with someone or it will fall flat. Unfortunately for me, it was the latter. ( )

I normally don't read much "self-help" or "personal growth" books, as I tend to find that they normally just repeat the same advice as the others, all the while sounding as though they've discovered some new secret to magically solve our problems instantly. "The Noticer" attempts to break that mold, and while it did cause me to pause and reflect momentarily, in the end, it amounted to a nice read that left me feeling as though something was still missing.

The book centers on an old man named Jones. The author, Andy, meets him while he is living under the pier and feeling pretty miserable about his life. Jones, with his infinite wisdoms, helps Andy to see things from a different "perspective" and enables Andy to walk down a path which ultimately leads to success. Jones is a mysterious drifter, and he happens to show up right when people need to hear his guidance. By some never-mentioned ability, Jones is able to see what areas of a person's life need a new perspective, and is always there to guide that person. He helps a couple on the brink of divorce and fixes their marriage in an astonishing few minutes. He reminds a very old woman that there is still much for her to live for, something which she hadn't learned in her many many years on Earth, but which Jones reminded her of, again in mere minutes.

While the surface lessons may have been good, the book lacked quite a bit of substance. It just didn't go deep enough for me, and the tidy ends to every story made this nonfiction work border on the too-good-to-be-true edge. The writing is a bit TOO simple at times, and conversations between characters did not feel real, but rather contrived and rephrased too formally.

Certain parts of the book which could have been developed into "AHA!" moments instead became "Duh!" ones. For example, Andrews writes, "If you concentrate your thoughts on what you don't have, you will soon be concentrating on other things you had forgotten you don't have- and feel worse!" It took some self-reflection and personal insight to really grasp that statement, because the author didn't continue delving into this. There are gems in this book, to be sure, but Andrews throws them at the reader in a drive-by of wisdom, and does not attempt to offer more than just short quotes we can refer back to.

The book is only 156 pages long, and while this does help it to move along at a steady clip, it also feels very rushed. The conclusion almost made me groan out loud at its saccharine-sweet closure. Yes, it does give great nuggets of insight and advice, but for me, it was too stiff, too perfect, and entirely too focused on saying way too much in too few words. Or, perhaps, Jones might suggest I just need a new "perspective". ( )