The Noticer

Touching, Thought-Provoking, and Inspirational.

If I had to sum this book up in three words those are what they would be, but thankfully I'm not restricted to three words :-)

This story follows Jones and Andy. Jones is the Noticer, because he notices things that other people can't see. Through the book he comes into peoples lives at the right time, helps them gain a little perspective on the situation they are in, then moves on to help someone else.

I loved this book. Not only was it a quick read (3 hours) but I couldn't put it down. Andy Andrews writes with compassion for his characters (probably because he is one of them). Jones has a way to know exactly what each person he comes in contact needs in order to help them change their lives show more around. Jones' perspective on life seems so simple, yet many of us fail to see things from his perspective in our own lives.

I became so attached to this story that I cried quite a few times. I think I became attached to each character that Jones helped. And each time he helped someone he simply chalked it up to the person just needed a little perspective.

I normally don't post passages from the books I read but I think this one is worth mentioning: "Most people think it takes a long time to change. It doesn't.Change is immediate! Instantaneous! It may take a long time to decide to change... but change happens in a heartbeat!"

I think everyone should read this. It kind of makes you think about times when you've been in a bad way and what it took or would take to help you get out of it. show less

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 show more 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. show less

I do not read "Self-Help/Personal Growth" books. Period. The very few I have I found to be heavy handed, self-righteous and simply put, over the top. So, they have not been a part of my reading genre for quite a long time. Imagine my trepidation when I discovered this book in my mailbox from a neighbor for book exchange. Ugh, what a chore to have to read this! Ugh, must I?!
Actually, I did, the book was short and easy to get into, after all the first sentence invites you to read on, "His name was Jones." Well, who's name was Jones? So, I read on to discover that Jones is, ambiguous. Yeah, you can call him an angel, Christmas Past, Present and Future rolled into one, he could be Elijah, a fairy or the risen Lord living amongst us. It all show more depends on your perspective. Which is what the purpose of Jones is. He pops into the lives of people who are at the end of their tether, those wishing to end it all, those old and feel they have nothing left to offer. There are others who don't even realize they're inflicting pain upon themselves and those they love or work with, some who simply want to make good choices but don't know how to go about it. Jones offers them a way to see things from a different perspective. He shares biographies of well known people who have struggled and made a difference in the lives of others and tells stories of nobodies who've done small acts with huge results.
It's really a great book and I, now, feel fortunate to have received it in my mailbox. It is as if Jones himself put it there to speak to me. Everyone should examine their perspective occasionally, it may reveal something you didn't even know you had in you. show less

Perspective.

When you’re facing a crisis, having someone tell you that you need “perspective” sounds trite, simplistic, and/or offensive. You don’t need perspective, you need what’s wrong to be right.

However, once you gain perspective, you look back and realize it really was was the most important thing you needed. Without the right perspective, you cannot take the right path.

The Noticer is a wonderful little book about perspective. How lost our lives can become without it. How rescued our lives can become with it.

The book itself plays out like a “Touched by an Angel” episode, where a variety of people in a town are all helped by a mysterious stranger named Jones. In each of their situations, the help that Jones gives them show more is a new perspective on their life situation. As he tells a young homeless man, “I give them a broader view… and it allows them to regroup, take a breath, and begin their lives again.”

It’s a clever and winsome way to wrap up some disparate observations & wisdom on living into a book. Although I usually prefer heavy, deep, non-fiction tomes on this sort of subject, I enjoyed reading The Noticer. It made me think, and it made me smile. Jones goes up to a married couple and tells them, “Now then. You are having marital problems.” Shocked, they ask him how he knows. He slyly replies, “Because you’re married. When you’re married, those are the kind of problems you have.”

Over the course of the book Jones helps a young homeless man, a married couple on the brink of divorce, a chronic worrier, some teens with dating woes, a lonely widow, and an unethical young businessman, all with a few words of insight. His last words of wisdom are perhaps his best:

"Your time on this earth is a gift to be used wisely.

Don’t squander your words or your thoughts.

Consider that even the simplest actions you take for your lives matter beyond measure… and they matter forever."

Will The Noticer change your life? Not likely. Is it a pleasant little read for a few hours when your don’t want your brain to be in high gear? Yes, I found it so, & I think you will too. show less

In the dark times of peoples’ lives, a mysterious old man appears in Orange Beach, Alabama. He answers to “Jones” and offers “a little perspective” to folks needing to be a bit more observant. Proclaiming himself to be a “noticer,” Jones’s gifts of wise words and perspective make a decisive change in the lives of the town’s citizens.

Fable? Allegory? Fiction? Truth?

Perhaps a bit of each as the unfolding tales, loosely held together by the appearance of Jones, offer readers bits of wisdom, understanding, and common sense while inspiring them to become their best selves. While not particularly “preachy,” readers will find the self-help advice provides much to consider if they choose to travel the road of positivity show more and accept the challenge of change that empowers and inspires.

This edition includes a Reader's Guide with questions that may be used for group discussion or for personal reflection.

Highly recommended. show less

When an old drifter named Jones wanders through the town of Orange Beach, Alabama, he seems intent on changing the lives of everyone he meets. A typical town with typical problems, several people of Orange Beach find themselves greatly in need of the help that Jones provides. But can a change in perspective, which is what is offered by Jones, truly be enough to change their lives forever?

I thought this book was mainly talk, with little true substance. There weren't really any new profound insights made, and virtually all the dialog and events were completely unbelievable, mainly because the new perspective offered is nothing that I found to be really convincing or life-changing. I had read most of the insights in other formats show more elsewhere, including the 'keep your fork' story that is well-known due to a popular e-mail forward that has been traveling around the world for years now already. Add to that the fact that most of what was put forward as profound revelations are conclusions I firmly disagree with, and I didn't care much for this book. That being said, I'm also not the typical audience for this type of book. I gave it a try, but it's not for me. Devout Christians and self-help fans may feel differently about it. For me, I give it 2/5 stars.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson (the publisher) for the opportunity to read and review this. Though I personally didn't care for it, I appreciate the opportunity to give it a try. show less

In The Noticer, chance meetings with an ethnically ambiguous older man give insight and perspective to a number of people faced with challenging problems. It's self help that applies conventional wisdom with a little religion to topics ranging from love dialects and spousal selection to family dynamics, business ethics and even death. This book might be just right for someone at a pivotal point in their life. I'm not there, though, so it was just an ok read but nothing that changed my perpective or impacted my way of thinking.