The Americans Are Coming, the first novel of The Brennen Siding Trilogy, introduces teenagers Dryfly Ramsey and Shadrack Nash, poor and ignorant in the world's terms, but rich in the lore of the woods and the magical Miramichi River. Among the Brennen Siding folk who help them grow up (sometimes none too gently) are Shirley Ramsey, the homely, destitute mother of Dry and his 10 brothers and sisters; Nutbeam, a floppy-eared hermit who falls in love...