WEDNESDAY: The Noticer

[I am a reviewer for Thomas Nelson Book Review Blogger Program. I received an electronic copy of this book to read and review with no promise of a positive review.]

Jones is a mysterious man. He's there for awhile and then disappears. He always has on the same clothes, and carries the same briefcase. No one knows where he lives. He knows so much about so many people. He has an easy way about him - casual, approachable. But he is also very direct. He sees right to the heart of things and offers fresh perspective to long-term problems. It isn't a surprise that people are drawn to him, and that those he helps are so pleased to see him when he returns.

I was not a fan of this book. There were touching moments in some of the interactions Jones has with characters who are struggling, but I felt they were only loosely tied together into a "story." I kept wondering where it was all headed and couldn't pin down a structure. Some of the interactions seemed lifted right out of those emails people are always forwarding to one another, like the one about the person buried with the fork in his hand. Another section loosely rehashes love languages. It felt unoriginal. I did like the messages about perspective - reframing how we look at life's difficulties, seeing things through the eyes of others, etc., but those weren't enough for me to give this a positive review. If I were giving stars, I would give this book 2.5.