The Ultimate Gift Book

I'll admit it: I did not like this book. It's the current selection in our Relief Society book group, which I'm in charge of, although I don't pick the books. If anyone read it and loved it (as I know many people have and do), I know you'll be quick to dismiss me as being sad and cold-hearted, but after much reflection I've decided that is not the case.

Basically, the book centers around a young man whose great uncle bequeathed him a large fortune, but before he can have access to the money he has to go learn about a series of 12 gifts (one every month for a year). The gifts include things like the gift of work, the gift of friendship, the gift of money, etc. The young man, by discovering these gifts for himself, overcomes a lifetime habit of selfishness wrought from having everything provided for him.

In principle, this is a great idea, and a lot of the gifts in the book ring true (even though the overall premise seemed a bit simplistic to me personally, since I have long since accepted and believed that there are things far more important than money). But in execution, I really found this book wanting. There is almost no character development, no real description of what the young man goes through and how it changes him. Each chapter starts with a meeting with the lawyer (through whose perspective the book is told) where the new gift is introduced; after a paragraph break, the month is over and the young man reports on what he learned. I really wanted to see more of his experiences and what happened to him--in a "show not tell" kind of narrative.