Only Breath & Shadow is about rescuing Jewish children from Vienna in the 1930s. It includes real events woven into a fiction and tells the story of a blind man and an American cabaret singer who seek to rescue four Jewish children. It also contains the true-life story of Gil and Eleanor Kraus, who travelled to Vienna in 1939 and brought fifty Jewish children back to America.
Christian Drewe a man blinded at the Somme sees the moral decay that Nazism brings to Vienna more clearly than the sighted world around him.
At the start of the novel Christian Drewe is a man without purpose, believing that his blindness defines him. But when the Nazis march into Austria, everything changes. When his Jewish friends are arrested and sent to the camps, their four children are left behind with no one to protect them.
Christian is their only hope.
In a city crawling with informants and watched by the Gestapo, he must do the impossible: hide the children, outwit a ruthless Nazi officer, and plan an escape from a world closing in around them, all without sight.
As danger tightens and time runs out, Christian is forced to confront a question he can no longer avoid:
How much can one man risk to save innocent lives?
Only Breath & Shadow is a powerful and deeply human story of courage in the face of unimaginable darkness.
Perfect for readers of All the Light We Cannot See, The Tattooist of Auschwitz and The Nightingale, this unforgettable novel explores sacrifice, love, and the strength to act when it matters most.

Key Words & Themes:

Kindertransport & Holocaust Rescue: Captures the urgency of the 1930s refugee crisis and individual action against global indifference.
Disability in Historical Fiction - A Blind Protagonist: A rare, immersive portrayal of visual impairment during wartime.
Suspense & Resistance: Features intense interrogation scenes, psychological games, and a true mission to save innocent lives.
Vienna Coffeehouse Culture of the 1930s: Richly detailed setting of the Inner Stadt before and after the Nazi occupation.
Oppression against Minorities: Tells the story of Paul O'Montis, the famous gay Jewish cabaret artist who mocked the Nazis, and Gil and Eleanor Kraus who came from Philadelphia in America and rescued 50 Jewish children

Only Breath & Shadow is a sweeping tale of moral clarity in an era of darkness, providing a dramatic conclusion to the Castle Drogo family saga while standing alone as a profound exploration of sacrifice and love.

"Synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

Rarewaves.com UK

London, United Kingdom

5-star seller

AbeBooks seller since June 11, 2025

Shipping rates from United Kingdom to U.S.A.

Item	60 to 60 business days	60 to 60 business days
First item	£ 65.00	£ 100.00

Delivery times are set by sellers and vary by carrier and location. Orders passing through Customs may face delays and buyers are responsible for any associated duties or fees. Sellers may contact you regarding additional charges to cover any increased costs to ship your items.

Payment methods

Seller's business information

RAREWAVES.COM LIMITED

Elsley Court, 20-22 Great Titchfield Street
London, United Kingdom W1W 8BE

Contact sellerView this seller's itemsView seller's storefront

Right of withdrawal

If you are a consumer you can withdraw from the contract in accordance with the following. Consumer means any natural person who is acting for purposes which are outside his trade, business, craft or profession.

Information regarding the right of withdrawal

Statutory right to withdraw

You have the right to withdraw from this contract within 14 days without giving any reason.

The withdrawal period will expire after 14 days from the day on which you acquire, or a third party other than the carrier and indicated by you acquires, physical possession of the last good or the last lot or piece.

To exercise the right of withdrawal, electronically fill in and submit a clear statement on our website, under "My Purchases" in "My Account". We will communicate to you an acknowledgement of receipt of such a withdrawal on a durable medium (e.g. by e-mail) without delay.

To meet the withdrawal deadline, it is sufficient for you to send your communication concerning your exercise of the right of withdrawal before the withdrawal period has expired.

Effects of withdrawal

If you withdraw from this contract, we will reimburse to you all payments received from you, including the costs of delivery (except for the supplementary costs arising if you chose a type of delivery other than the least expensive type of standard delivery offered by us).

We may make a deduction from the reimbursement for loss in value of any goods supplied, if the loss is the result of unnecessary handling by you.

We will make the reimbursement without undue delay, and not later than 14 days after the day on which we are informed about your decision to withdraw from this contract.

We will make the reimbursement using the same means of payment as you used for the initial transaction, unless you have expressly agreed otherwise; in any event, you will not incur any fees as a result of such reimbursement.

We may withhold reimbursement until we have received the goods back, or you have supplied evidence of having sent back the goods, whichever is the earliest.

You shall send back the goods or hand them over to Rarewaves.com UK, Unit 144 The Lightbox, 111 Power Road, W4 5PY, London, London, United Kingdom, without undue delay and in any event not later than 14 days from the day on which you communicate your withdrawal from this contract to us. The deadline is met if you send back the goods before the period of 14 days has expired. You will have to bear the direct cost of returning the goods. You are only liable for any diminished value of the goods resulting from the handling other than what is necessary to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the goods.

Exceptions to the right of withdrawal

The right of withdrawal does not apply to:

The delivery of newspapers, journals or magazines with the exception of subscription contracts; and
The supply of digital content which is not supplied on a tangible medium (e.g. on a CD or DVD) if you accepted when you placed your order that we could start to deliver it, and that you could not withdraw once delivery had started.

Shipping terms

Please note that we do not offer Priority shipping to any country.

We currently do not ship to the below countries:

Russia
Belarus
Ukraine

Please do not attempt to place orders with any of these countries as a ship to address - they will be cancelled.

Only Breath and Shadow

Bibliographic details