By Madeleine Johnson | September 22nd, 2022 | “Notebook” It was not my express intention, but during my travels this summer I saw a lot of naked male flesh. When they say “travel broadens the mind,” I don’t think they mean the misshapen hairy male legs, the knobby, fungus-colored feet, and wobbly, wrinkled necks that I walked among or sat next to in European airports … Continue reading Bare male flesh

By Madeleine Johnson | July 3rd, 2022 | “Notebook” For a long time I have felt called to write about Jhumpa Lahiri, the London-born author of Indian descent, whose novels and stories I have always read with great enthusiasm. In her novels, “Interpreter of Maladies” (1999), “Unaccustomed Earth” (2008), and “The Namesake” (2003) Lahiri examines matters of identity, family, and culture. While not an immigrant … Continue reading Tale of two authors

By Madeleine Johnson | April 12th, 2022 | “Notebook” For the last few days, my ears have been buzzing with a snippet of elevator-style synthesizer music. It’s short and cheesy and surprisingly cheering. It’s the theme music from the Italian television show “Don Matteo.” The show, now entering its final season after twenty years, has been an Italian hit for years. It is currently available … Continue reading Goodbye, Don Matteo

By Madeleine Johnson | March 19th, 2022 | “Notebook”, Memory Lane If I simply wrote about the ways that my parents embarrassed me, I would no longer struggle to find a monthly topic for this column. Neverending were my parents’ constant affronts to the expected norms of upper-class professionals, from my father’s driving a beat-up Volkswagen instead of a nicer car to my mother’s talking … Continue reading Shovel and broom

By Madeleine Johnson | February 18th, 2022 | “Notebook” Two dates are painted by hand on a weathered New England barn near me, and together they sum up something I have been thinking and wanting to write about for some time. The dates are: 9/11/01 and 12/7/41. The first of course is the date of the terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, which … Continue reading How one war’s legacy endures

By Madeleine Johnson | January 23rd, 2022 | “Notebook” Back in October, I had the good luck to travel to Italy. COVID cases had dropped off and the Omicron variant had yet to hit. While there, I ate nice meals, bought Perugina fruit candy, and caught up on clothes shopping from my favorite stores, where I found a dress for my son’s wedding. I also … Continue reading Not so bad? Think again

By Madeleine Johnson | December 17th, 2021 | “Notebook” On my recent trip to Italy, many of my Italian friends often surprised me with a question I honestly didn’t expect. They wanted to know what I did all day in America. I did my best to gloss over the question. Why? For one thing, I found it a little weird. What exactly were they getting … Continue reading American Alfie

By Madeleine Johnson | November 18th, 2021 | “Notebook” In October, I was finally able to return to Milan, where I lived for almost thirty years. I had not visited since 2018 — the year I returned to the United States and settled in rural New Hampshire. I had no idea what to expect after the pandemic. Though it seems like decades, it was less … Continue reading Letter from Milan

By Madeleine Johnson | October 7th, 2021 | “Notebook” Fall is here. For some, autumn is associated with pumpkin spice and sweaters. For me, it’s the start of Japanese knotweed season. That doesn’t mean I don’t like comforting spices and warm woolly things as much as the next person. It does mean, however, that those delights simply don’t excite me quite like the fading flowers … Continue reading Killing the assassin

By Madeleine Johnson | September 5th, 2021 | “Notebook” My memory contains many 50-year old snippets of overheard adult conversations. Misunderstood words and phrases would rise above the tinkling of cocktail glasses and cigarette smoke to my perch at the top of the stairs where, in my nightgown, I listened in on the era’s controversies. “Trust me, I tried it. You can check Marx out … Continue reading Heard along the way