The Ultimate Life by Jim Stovall is a novel about living, getting, and giving back. It is about a crusty old oilman named Red Stevens. Red is a multigazillionaire who has died and in his will he left the just a few gazillions to his greedy heirs and the bulk of his estate to a grandson, Jason Stevens. However Jason has to show that he has learned about the gifts of life and further demonstrate that that he knows how to teach others about the gifts

Well, old Red’s other heirs wanted all the gazillions of dollars and are thus trying to overturn Red’s last will and testament in court. The judge hearing the suit is the narrator and so he has to oversee the education of young Jason and test whether Jason is meeting the tests.

The gifts that Jason must learn are things such as Work, Money, Friends, Learning. There is a chapter for each. It opens with a court session where Jason demonstrates that he has learned what the particular day’s gift is and is then directed by the judge to go out and demonstrate that he learned how to teach that gift to others.

I loved the book. Mr. Stovall has a gift for writing and moving the story along. He also has a great sense of humor. The courtroom repartee between Jason’s lawyer and the greedy heirs’ attorney is really funny. He also writes with a gentle good humor and I just felt good by the time I finished the book. Mr. Stovall has a talent for showing how things like work, giving, gratitude, learning, and problems,  are really blessings to be learned and passed on.