Heard It on the Grapevine
Clive Cooke
- “Love
- Token”
- is
- set
- in
- one
- of
- the
- great
- country
- houses
- of
- England
- at
- the
- time
- of
- the
- First
- World
- War.
- The
- servants
- below
- stairs
- are
- getting
- ready
- for
- a
- house
- party
- for
- thirty
- guests.
- Inevitably,
- the
- old
- social
- set-up
- disintegrates
- under
- the
- pressures
- of
- the
- war.
- It
- is
- also
- a
- love
- story.
“Kaffee
- Klatsch”
- (gossip
- in
- English)
- is
- about
- two
- elderly
- women,
- friends
- for
- fifty
- years.
- Both
- women
- fall
- in
- love
- with
- the
- same
- man
- which
- puts
- their
- relationship
- under
- considerable
- strain.
- Jealousy
- rears
- its
- ugly
- head.
- However,
- their
- friendship
- survives
- the
- crisis
- and
- when
- it
- is
- finally
- over
- the
- two
- old
- dears
- are
- ready
- to
- make
- the
- same
- mistake
- all
- over
- again.
“Lavender”
- is
- a
- love
- story
- set
- in
- an
- old-age
- home.
- What
- the
- eighty-year-old
- love-birds
- don’t
- appreciate
- is
- that
- their
- romance
- is
- seen
- by
- their
- children
- as
- a
- threat
- to
- the
- status
- quo,
- especially
- the
- possibility
- of
- losing
- their
- inheritance.
The
- story
- “Dear
- Olivia”
- is
- told
- through
- a
- series
- of
- e-mails
- between
- Cathy
- and
- her
- friend
- and
- confidant
- Olivia.
- Her
- friend
- warns
- her,
- but
- she
- does
- not
- want
- to
- listen.
The
- setting
- of
- “Lemon
- Juice”
- is
- a
- press
- conference
- where
- a
- film
- star
- is
- presenting
- her
- new
- range
- of
- beauty
- products
- to
- the
- public.
- Meanwhile,
- a
- member
- of
- the
- audience
- plans
- to
- take
- revenge
- on
- her.
- The
- conventional
- saying
- is:
- “when
- life
- gives
- you
- a
- lemon….
- make
- lemonade”.
- However,
- in
- this
- story,
- the
- woman
- seeking
- revenge
- forces
- the
- film
- star
- to
- drink
- pure,
- concentrated
- lemon
- juice.
“Writers’
- Block”
- is
- a
- story
- of
- a
- writer
- facing
- a
- dry
- creative
- patch
- as
- she
- approaches
- the
- end
- of
- her
- career.
- When
- she
- discovers
- a
- novice
- writer
- with
- talent,
- she
- decides
- to
- steal
- the
- young
- woman’s
- work
- and
- to
- do
- this
- she
- needs
- to
- murder
- her.
In
- the
- story
- “Revenge
- is
- Sour”,
- one
- member
- of
- the
- family
- is
- beautiful
- and
- the
- other
- is
- plain.
- Which
- one
- do
- think
- is
- the
- jealous
- one?
The
- next
- four
- stories
- are
- set
- in
- different
- countries.
- Divorce
- Italian
- Style
- is
- about
- one
- set
- of
- rules
- for
- men
- and
- a
- different
- set
- of
- rules
- for
- women.
- Divorce
- in
- America
- is
- all
- about
- greedy
- lawyers.
- Divorce
- British
- Style
- is
- about
- the
- class
- system.
- Divorce
- in
- Ireland
- depends
- on
- what
- you
- find
- at
- the
- end
- of
- the
- rainbow.
“One
- Up”
- is
- a
- game
- between
- husband
- and
- wife.
- Why
- not
- turn
- divorce
- into
- a
- game?
- It’s
- much
- more
- fun
- that
- way.
The
- story
- “Heard
- it
- on
- the
- Grapevine”
- is
- a
- portrait
- of
- a
- sociopath
- manager.
- Perhaps,
- you
- have
- run
- across
- him
- during
- your
- career.
- Recognise
- him
- and
- avoid
- him
- at
- all
- costs.
- The
- writer
- proposes
- that
- the
- higher
- the
- level
- in
- a
- company,
- the
- greater
- the
- proportion
- of
- sociopaths.
- These
- people
- are
- viewed
- as
- “gurus’,
- “visionaries”
- and
- “dynamic”.
- Don’t
- be
- fooled.
- They
- are
- enormously
- destructive.
“Rules
- of
- the
- Game”
- are
- the
- unwritten
- rules
- of
- the
- corporate
- world.
- Uncle
- Al
- takes
- it
- upon
- himself
- to
- teach
- his
- nephew
- the
- rules.
- His
- nephew
- views
- him
- as
- old
- and
- cynical
- whereas
- Uncle
- Al
- views
- him
- as
- young
- and
- naïve.
- The
- reader
- is
- left
- to
- judge
- for
- herself
- which
- point
- of
- view
- is
- correct.
“The
- Corporate
- Smile”
- is
- dripping
- with
- sarcasm.
- Learn
- how
- to
- get
- to
- the
- top
- by
- smiling
- rather
- than
- by
- working
- hard.
- In
- the
- corporate
- world,
- smiling
- is
- a
- WMD
- (weapon
- of
- mass
- deceit).
“The
- Max
- principle”
- is
- a
- story
- about
- the
- mentality
- of
- entitlement,
- or
- how
- people
- justify
- doing
- bad
- things.
Say
- “hello”
- to
- a
- team
- of
- demotivated
- subordinates
- in:
- “Why
- Should
- I?”
- These
- people
- believe
- that
- the
- company
- owes
- them
- a
- living.
In
- “Lambe
- to
- the
- Slaughter”
- pity
- Frank
- Lambe
- the
- project
- manager,
- running
- around
- in
- circles
- trying
- to
- satisfy
- every
- boss
- and
- his
- dog.
- Call
- in
- the
- consultants!
- Sack
- the
- consultants!
- Call
- in
- new
- consultants!
- Frank
- isn’t
- coping.
Are
- you
- a
- “Team
- Player”?
- Are
- you
- prepared
- to
- cheat,
- lie
- and
- do
- illegal
- things
- for
- your
- company.
- Top
- management
- will
- protect
- you.
- You
- have
- nothing
- to
- lose,
- except
- perhaps
- your
- reputation.
“Chairman
- of
- the
- Board”
- is
- a
- farce.
- Communication
- sessions
- by
- top
- management
- are
- never
- like
- this.
“What
- About
- Me?”
- is
- humorous
- story
- of
- a
- young
- man
- trying
- to
- be
- popular
- with
- all
- the
- women
- at
- the
- office.
- Popularity,
- he
- discovers,
- comes
- at
- a price.
