An Incidental Nazi
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Pub Date Oct 27 2026 | Archive Date Nov 15 2026
Histria Books | Histria Fiction
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Description
A lost boys’ choir, a furious mother, and a compromised conductor—one war, three continents, and a love of music that outlasts every betrayal.
In 1938 Vienna, music is the only bright thing left. For Wolf Strauss, a foundling with a clear, soaring voice, the Vienna Mozart Boys’ Choir is home, hope and escape. For Dr Georg Gruber, the brilliant choirmaster now wearing a Nazi uniform, it’s the last thing worth protecting as the world tilts toward catastrophe.
Half a world away in Melbourne, sharp, stubborn Bobby Marsh is being bruised by nuns, bosses and, most of all, her glamorous, terrifying mother Henny—keeper of secrets, smoker of shisha, and the woman who chooses the choir over her own child again and again.
When the choir is shipped out—Vienna to Hamburg, New York, Hawaii, then wartime Australia—their voices fill grand halls while their lives quietly fall apart. Boys are stranded, sorted and separated. Labels like “enemy alien” and “undesirable race” land harder than any cane.
Told with the emotional bite of books like The Nightingale, The Incidental Nazi follows Bobby, Wolf and Georg across years of exile, forbidden love, and hard-won survival—held together, just barely, by the music they refuse to surrender.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781592117727 |
| PRICE | $19.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 300 |
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Average rating from 6 members
Featured Reviews
Tiffany T, Reviewer
Historical fiction is not my typical genre but the WWII era is my favorite time period to learn about. I really liked that the focus is on the impact in other parts of the world other than just Germany and the impact on children when they both identify with different sides of the war.
Yonah S, Reviewer
An Incidental Nazi written by author Catherine Gillard. In Vienna 1938 we meet The Vienna Mozart Boy’s Choir. They are preparing to travel the world to show off their amazing talent and all of their upcoming shows are over booked. Their director is Dr Georg Gruber, the brilliant choirmaster. He was recently forced to bring his Nazi uniform wherever he goes. He questions this because they are not at war. .
The choir is takes a ship from Vienna to Hamburg, New York, Hawaii, then Australia. The Boys are treated like royalty until they reached Australia, they have no idea that Germany has declared war. The choir is now stranded in a foreign country, they cant speak the language, and they are marked as the enemy from many locals. The Australian government decided to disban the choir and to keep the uoung hoys in Australia. This is a new beginning for some and a horrific nightmare for others. How can they possibly overcome these new problems? Will they ever see their parents again back in Austria?
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General Fiction (Adult), Historical Fiction, Multicultural Interest
