Literature in the 1970s "Watership Down" by Richard Adams, a juvenile novel about a family of rabbits which found a home in mainstream literary circles. Joseph Heller's dramatic novel of middle age, "Something Happened", was the author's first book since "Catch-22" in 1961. James A. Michener also returned to prominence in the seventies, first with "Chesapeake", a story of four families interwoven throughout their interactions in the Chesapeake Bay area of Maryland, and later with "Centennial", a historical novel about a family living in Colorado in the time of the 1870s. In 1976, "Centennial" was adapted to a popular television miniseries. John Jakes would
Down by the River (novel) Down by the River (novel) Down by the River is a 1997 novel by Irish novelist Edna O'Brien. The novel depicts the response of a local community the a girl, Mary, abuse by her father being exposed to their local community when she tries to get an abortion. The ensuing legal battle in a country which bans abortions. The novel was based on a real life story from 1992, when a similar case ignited controversy in both Ireland and the UK. The novel highlights the psychological realities of such attention on the girl, as she struggles with her abuse. Reception