Les Miserables (Book): And Yet Are Orphans by ryfkah (PG 13)

Pairing: none, Gen

Length:3976 words

Warnings: Canon major character death, child neglect

Site:AO3

Why I am recommending this: And Yet Are Orphans focuses on Azelma Thenardier--the only child of the abusive Thenardiers who definitely survives the story-- and her little brother Gavroche, who doesn't. What's really impressive about this story is the way it manages to capture the strain of their lives while illustrating some happy moments, and the sense throughout of Azelma's dawning sense of self, and the ways she negotiates the many limits and few advantages her life offers. While a canon-era fic about the Thenardier children can hardly avoid being grim, this one also has a sense of simmering power, and the hint of there being more to and for Azelma than is clear even to her.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/806063