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Stado

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During the Depression, a 10-year-old boy befriends a carnival stuntman and his lion cub and learns about the meaning of family, loyalty, love, and survival.

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

9 people are currently reading
574 people want to read

About the author

William Wharton

39 books262 followers
William Wharton (7 November 1925 - 29 October 2008), the pen name of the author Albert William Du Aime (pronounced as doo-EM), was an American-born author best known for his first novel Birdy, which was also successful as a film.

Wharton was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Upper Darby High School in 1943, and was inducted into the school's Wall of Fame in 1997. He volunteered to serve in the United States Army during World War II, and was assigned to serve in a unit to be trained as engineers. He ended up being assigned to serve in the infantry and was severely wounded in the Battle of the Bulge. After his discharge, he attended the University of California, Los Angeles and received a undergraduate degree in art and a doctorate in psychology, later teaching art in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

His first novel Birdy was published in 1978 when he was more than 50 years old. Birdy was a critical and popular success, and Alan Parker directed a film version starring Nicolas Cage and Matthew Modine. After the publication of Birdy and through the early 1990s, Du Aime published eight novels, including Dad and A Midnight Clear, both of which were also filmed, the former starring Jack Lemmon.

Many of the protagonists of Wharton's novels, despite having different names and backgrounds, have similar experiences, attitudes, and traits that lead one to presume that they are partly autobiographical[citation needed]. There is precious little certifiable biography available about Wharton / Du Aime. He served in France and Germany in World War II in the 87th Infantry Division, was a painter, spent part of his adult life living on a houseboat as an artist in France, raised several children (not all of whom appreciated his philosophy of child-rearing), is a reasonably skilled carpenter and handyman, and has suffered from profound gastrointestinal problems.

In 1988, Wharton's daughter, Kate; his son-in-law, Bert; and their two children, two-year-old Dayiel and eight-month-old Mia, were killed in a horrific 23-car motor vehicle accident near Albany, Oregon, that was caused by the smoke generated by grass-burning on nearby farmland. In 1995, Wharton wrote a (mostly) non-fiction book, Ever After: A Father's True Story, in which he recounts the incidents leading up to the accident, his family's subsequent grief, and the three years he devoted to pursuing redress in the Oregon court system for the field-burning that caused the accident. Houseboat on Seine, a memoir, was published in 1996, about Wharton's purchase and renovation of a houseboat.

It is worth to be noted that he gained an enormous and very hard to be explained popularity in Poland, which was followed by many editions as well as meetings and, eventually, some works prepared and edited only in Polish.

Wharton died on October 29, 2008 of an infection he contracted while being hospitalized for blood-pressure problems.

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5 stars
217 (33%)
4 stars
253 (38%)
3 stars
138 (21%)
2 stars
41 (6%)
1 star
8 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
Profile Image for Milen Y.
44 reviews7 followers
November 1, 2022
Велика книга! Велик Автор!

“…Никой не може да освободи другия от клетката му, дори когато този друг е лъв. Важното за всички нас е никога да не гледаме в решетките, а през тях. Защото ако все в решетките гледаш, доникъде няма да стигнеш и на живота никога няма да се порадваш, никога.”
Profile Image for Pyrx.
140 reviews5 followers
November 10, 2021
Приятна история, разказана от името на едно дете, преплитаща се с историята за Стюре и лъва. Не намирам за проблем, че не е обяснена играта на думи с "гордост" на английски. Има достатъчно основание книгата да носи това име, най-вече благодарение на бащата. Дики, макар и беден, е щастлив, че има кой да му посочи път в живота. За католиците гордост е един от греховете, малкия търпи наказание, а баща му казва какво е истинска гордост - тази от добре свършена работа. Възхищавам се от начина, по който е разказан живота на Кетълсън и приемам идеите им и позабравените добродетели, които също и изобщо не са свързани с религията.
Ще запомня за трите вида хора.
"Според мен, Дики, има три вида хора. Първите викат: „Карай да върви!“ Това са онези, дето, ако не ги накараш насила, пръста си за нищичко няма да помръднат. Не ги интересува ни дело, ни човек, само над собствените си душички треперят. За мене те са най-висшата класа. После идват онези, дето викат: „Бачкай и не мрънкай.“ Те се трудят, нямат си хър-мър с никого и държат на работата, държат работата да се върши, при това добре. Те са средната класа, Дики. Това сме ние. И последната група викат: „С лактите, и напред!“ Те са по-лоши и от първите. Интересуват се само от себе си и никога от работата. Едно гледат — да излязат напред и да печелят повече. Те представляват всички останали класи.Но ти няма какво да му мислиш, само гледай, ако можеш, да стоиш настрана от лакътджиите и от онези „карай-да-върви“ типове."
Това не е всичко, има и други засегнати проблеми, и необикновената втора сюжетна линия. Дори и да е леко наивна, книгата е подходяща както за юноши, така и за възрастни като мен, но я препоръчвам на младежите.
Прави ми впечатление, че Уортън е популярен най-много в България според коментарите на книгите му в Goodreads. В родината си е забравен, а в други държави не е откриван. В сравнение с него Филип Рот, който описва почти същите времена има голяма популярност. Неотдавна четох "Синдромът Портной" и правя съпоставка как неговия пикльо описва семейството си. Колкото и тази книга да има една основна тема и близките на Портной да са посредствени, не ми се нрави.
Всички романи на Уортън, които съм чел са доста различни един от друг, и все хубави.
Profile Image for Mal.
312 reviews47 followers
June 7, 2021
Przede wszystkim jestem rozczarowana. Ta książka była nudna i mam wrażenie, że właściwie o niczym. Albo to ja czegoś nie zrozumiałam. Dopiero zakończenie było dość emocjonujące, ale w zasadzie co miało przekazać?
Profile Image for Кремена Михайлова.
630 reviews209 followers
October 4, 2012

В началото ми беше леко скучно (но и още от началото се усеща нещо толкова топло и човешко)... След средата обаче започна да ми става доста интересно, дори да си задавам въпроса „какво ще стане по-нататък” – не заради обичайното любопитство, а защото чрез всяко събитие Уортън разкрива разбиранията си по ненатрапчив начин; не като стремеж към сензация или обикновено разказване, а откровено разкриване на най-дълбоките му разбирания за любов, хуманност, семейство...

Не помня скоро да съм срещала така идеално изграден „образ” на едно семейство (по-късно видях нещо подобно в „След багера” на Джак Харт) - пълно удоволствие ми достави, а не усещане за сладникавост и невъзможност. Непряко изразеното му разбиране, че и в най-тъмната човешка душа би трябвало да се крие нещо светло (и че обикновено „тъмното” е израз на страх и неувереност, а не зло само по себе си), не ми прозвуча наивно и идеалистично.

В тази книга Уортън отново е показал природата на животните, но също с цел да разкрие именно човешки качества. Ролята на войната не беше пропусната и тук, а съзерцаващото му спокойствие, проличаващо в способността да описва детайлно и бавно вече ми е доста познато и приятно.

Има писатели, които харесвам предимно заради разбиранията им (но като литературен стил може да съм по-слабо впечатлена), има такива, чиито разбирания не са водещото за мен, но литературният им талант ме е завладял... Уортън в началото ме привличаше с разбиранията и идеите си, но постепенно започнах да опознавам стила му и все повече оценявам литературната стойност на книгите му – т.е. третият идеален вариант.

В книгата не са използвани много-много художествени средства като сравнения, метафори и други обичайни, разказва се в обикновен стил (с доста хубави диалози), но зад всичко се крие нещо толкова дълбоко и магично, че обикновеният стил е предимство тук. Всъщност използван е похват, който много ми допадна – паралелно разказване на две истории, които се „сливат” накрая.
Profile Image for ponczeq_book.
436 reviews44 followers
July 1, 2023
3,5 perspektywa ojca z synem to miód na serce
Profile Image for Susan.
147 reviews
October 8, 2009
Pride was the perfect title for a perfect book. It had the best message/moral in a book that I've read in a long time. William Wharton's writing transports you back to the days the follow the Depression. It's warm, it's about people, about growing up, about family.
Some thought-provoking quotes:
In one place, 10-year-old Dickie talks about how he's too old to sit on his parents' laps, then says, "Those things seemed to stop, to end, without my hardly noticing them. I might never sit on anybody's lap again the rest of my life."
Another favorite: "Sally is up against another wall, another crossroads in the conflict between her basic goodness, sensitivity, awareness, and her yearning for excitement, anything to make the day-to-day, momentary quality of her life more meaningful, something left over in many humans from the millions of years lived before agriculture, cities, law ethics."
My favorite is at the end of the book, when Dickie's father tells him: "The important thing for all of us is never look at the bars, look through them. Because if you keep looking at bars, you'll never get anything done, and you'll never have fun in life, any joy,"
You'll need to read the book for the last quote to make sense, but once you do, you'll never forget it.
I can't believe this book's been in print since 1985 and I've just now read it. It's one of the few books I think is worthy of a second read.
6 reviews3 followers
November 22, 2008
This is one of my favorite books. It's the story of a young boy who learns that while his father is human he still is an extraordinary man. The family has fled from union unrest to vacation at the shore during off season. While father spends his days concerned with the family's safety, young Dickie becomes obsessed with the fate of a lion kept captive in a cage on the boardwalk.

I started reading and fell in love with Wharton's works in high school. I think the thing that impressed me most about Wharton is his ability to write about relationships especially those between men. He was such a brilliant writer and will be truly missed.
Profile Image for Agnieszka.
72 reviews
September 27, 2020
Uwielbiam Whartona. Za czasów nastolęcich ktoś mi podsunął "Ptaśka", ostatnio zaś wpadłam na "W księżycową jasną noc" i tak dotarłam do "Stada".
Autor ma w sobie coś, czego nie rozumiem - opowiada o rzeczach zwyczajnych, o fragmentach życia jednostek, które w tłumie pozostaną niezauważone, zignorowane. Przez większość książki nie dzieje się tak naprawdę nic nadzwyczajnego, nic, czego nie można zaliczyć do tryumfów i tragedii życia codziennego, a właściwie nawet te "większe" rzeczy nie są większe. A jednak - brnęłam strona za stroną, wkraczając ostrożnie do świata głównych bohaterów, oddychając tym samym powietrzem i obserwując tego samego Kanibala bawiącego się z Laurel.
Profile Image for julia.
62 reviews13 followers
June 19, 2022
3,5 niby nic, na początku się trochę nudziłam, ale mimo to wciągnęłam się w historie dickiego opiekującego się kanibalem i (tak dobrze zapowiadające się) życie kapa. ,,może więc całe życie jest tylko jednym wielkim przypadkiem i nie ma w nim zwycięzców, wszyscy muszą przegrać.''

bardzo dobra na wakacje, w moim wypadu będzie mi się ona zawsze kojarzyć z wakacjami i czytaniem jej na plaży
Profile Image for Ewa.
83 reviews1 follower
April 7, 2023
Zachęcona opinią znajomej, sięgnęłam po „Stado”. I chociaż moją ulubioną książką nie zostanie, były elementy, które przypadły mi do gustu.

Co od początku może zniechęcić, to dość sporo opisów, które mnie momentami nudziły. Odwracało to uwagę od głównej osi fabuły.

Sporo było tam też mało realistycznych fragmentów, a fabuła bywała przewidywalna, co niestety odbierało mi sporo frajdy przy czytaniu.

Niemniej, pomijając niektóre opisy, książkę czytało się dość sprawnie, a postaci były autentyczne, dzięki czemu razem z nimi w pełni przeżywaliśmy ich wzloty i upadki. To był dla mnie niezaprzeczalny plus tej książki.

Postaram się przeczytać coś jeszcze od autora i sprawdzić, jak na tle tej wypadają inne pozycje.
Profile Image for Сибин Майналовски.
Author 86 books173 followers
April 4, 2020
Симпатична книга, но финалът ме подразни. Много. Като я прочетете, ще разберете защо :)
Profile Image for Feliks.
495 reviews
November 18, 2014
Definitely one of the lightest, sweetest, but also most memorable, and oddly-perfect modern novels. A book which would fit almost any need. Its profound but entertaining; it yields richly-drawn characters yet they are ones taken from the utterly simplest walks-of-life; it is historical fiction but with a timeless quality.

If none of this matters to you, forget it all and let's just make it this: you will never find another novel in which a full-grown African lion zooms around the inside of a huge egg-shaped chamber in a motorcycle side-car, upside down, just inches away from your face.
Profile Image for Nousha.
49 reviews23 followers
September 13, 2011
Въпреки че преводачка е Иглика Василева, по мое мнение проблемът с думичката "pride" не е решен по възможно най-добрия начин. Една бележка под линия може да свърши чудеса, за да стане ясно защо семейството на лъва е неговата гордост и лъвският прайд да не се нарича "стадо". Като изключим това, не мога да не се възхитя на тази книга, онази кротка носталгия по Америка, такава, каквато е била и повече никога няма да бъде, а може би и по хората такива, каквито са били и сякаш никога няма да бъдат.
Profile Image for Erin.
561 reviews3 followers
May 27, 2014
I think my mom gave this to me awhile back from her book collection, and I finally got around to reading. It was great, and I think that anyone who liked "Water for Elephants" would really enjoy this.
Profile Image for Arjun.
Author 6 books84 followers
March 1, 2008
I never did like "Birdy." Actually, I don't like any other books written by William Wharton, unfortunately. But I loved Pride. Almost 20 years later, it is still one of my favorite books.
Profile Image for Natalia Lekki.
757 reviews7 followers
August 17, 2021
Jezu. Jaki to był chłam. Kanibal i Tuffy ❤️❤️❤️ nie dość że najciekawsi i wgl "jacyś" to w dodatku najmądrzejsi. Nienawidzę czytać o dzieciach które są tak głupie i nudne jak Dickie. Kap to postać naprawdę tragiczna. Darze go sympatią ale taką sympatią z dozą smutku i współczucia. Cała ta książka niby miała fabułę ale tak naprawdę do niczego nie dążyła. Ten kulminacyjny moment był przykry ale myślę że bardziej przykre były jego przyczyny. Powieść chyba miała stać "mądrościami" życiowymi, które po wielokrotnym przeczytaniu daleh nie miały niestety sensu. Drugie spotkanie z Whartonem i drugi zawód.
Szkoda 🤷‍♀️
Edit. Musiało mi się trochę pokładać w głowie chyba. Jedno dodatkowe spostrzeżenie - Laura i Laurel, Dick i Dickie.... Serio? Myliły mi się te imiona całkiem niepotrzebnie bo jest mnóstwo innych i można było tych bohaterów nazwać bardziej różnorodnie.
Po namyśle doszło też do mnie co mniej więcej autor zamierzał tą historią przekazać, o tym tytułowym stadzie. Niemniej jednak nie uważam żeby mu się to udało.
🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️
Profile Image for Aemilia Harbutt.
20 reviews1 follower
June 21, 2017
This book is like no other. It's complicated. Very complicated. It's the tale of two tales, of people in similar situations, tied together by its title of two meanings, Pride. Pride is an emotion when one shows blankly content towards one's actions, or someone else's actions. Pride is also a group of lions, that revolve around each other like clique. This is the story of a man's journey, from impeccably witty to unsuccessful and lost, the owner of a lone lion, and a boy growing in the Depression with a cat, who is also like a lion. I learned about change and time, over what was once a smart boy, to a crippled man, from love to loss, from cat to lion, and care to negligence. I learned about pride as well.
Profile Image for oliwia.
140 reviews6 followers
December 30, 2020
Wg mnie ta książka nie ma totalnie fabuły. Występuje tu znęcanie się nad lwem w sumie bez celu, myślałam, że chociaż będzie na koniec jakaś puenta, ale nie, nie ma.
Scena z zabicia tego lwa. Facet strzela do zwierzęcia, które tak bardzo rzekomo kochał bez żadnego zawahania, po czym pada w objęcia ukochanej. No X D.
4strony opisujące to, jak tato z dziećmi buduje jakiś tunel z piasku na plaży.
1/3 książki to opisy tego, jak bardzo bohater w przeszłości był zdolny, mądry, inteligenty itd. też bez żadnego celu w dalszej części historii. I tak wygląda mniej więcej cała książka...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for jolcia.
108 reviews3 followers
January 29, 2021
niezwykła w swojej prostocie.
fakt, że pierwszą połowę książki przeczytałam ponad rok temu i nie musiałam robić jej rereadu, bo niemal wszystko pamiętałam już o czymś świadczy.
jest to trzecia książka whartona, którą przeczytałam i każda z nich dotknęła mnie w innym miejscu.
podoba mi się konstrukcja tej książki, podobają mi się relacje między różnymi bohaterami, zwłaszcza to patrzenie na rodzinę, a w szczególności ojca, oczami chłopca.
387 reviews1 follower
November 5, 2017
This is a wonderful book with great characters that seem very real at times. I failed to give it 5 stars over the ending. It is still a great read.
Profile Image for Kalin Nikolov.
331 reviews16 followers
February 15, 2019
Idea / Credibility 4.0
Characters / Depth 4.0
Page-turn / Intrigue 4.5
Style / Richness 4.6

My rating 4.3
Profile Image for Alexandra.
175 reviews12 followers
March 9, 2022
2.5 Nie była zła, ale nie była też dobra. Taka trochę nijaka. Zero emocji. Lektura dla zabicia czasu, po miesiącu pewnie nie będę już o niej pamiętać.
Profile Image for Ania.
93 reviews
April 2, 2022
3,75
Druga połowa wątku Kapa była dla mnie trochę abstrakcyjna i męcząca :/
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