Over the last few weeks, I have had some wonderful unsolicited emails from people praising my book so I thought I would gather some of the comments below. (To find out more about where these reviews came from, please scroll down to the bottom of the page.)

Guys like Gauguin – The Artists and Writers Who Followed a Legend to Paradise

Guys like Gauguin… stopped me cold. Not because the subject is obscure. But because (it is) a cultural history so fascinating, so richly detailed, and so overdue that it demands to be read by anyone who has ever wondered why so many artists and writers followed Paul Gauguin to Tahiti… The question at the heart of the book - were they guys like Gauguin? - is a compelling one. Some were genuine artists seeking inspiration. Others were adventurers, escapists, or simply curious. But all of them were part of a cultural phenomenon that shaped how the world saw Tahiti and the South Seas. That is the kind of insight that makes this book so valuable. Lynn - Moderator for Goodreads Choice Awards Book Club 

For anyone interested in art history, the South Pacific, and the enduring allure of paradise.

I was immediately captivated by its fascinating exploration of the artistic community that flourished on Tahiti in the 1920s. The question of why this remote South Pacific island became a haven for writers and artists, thousands of miles from home, is a compelling starting point for a richly detailed cultural history. (The) book excels in its focus on the “guys like Gauguin,” … painting a vivid picture of a unique artistic community. Diana Klutz - Amazon SEO & Book Market Strategy

Guys like Gauguin Has a Fascinating Story Behind Tahiti’s Artistic Legacy

Guys like Gauguin … explores much more than the life of one artist. It examines how Tahiti became imagined as an artistic paradise and follows the writers, painters, adventurers, and other creative figures who later traveled (sic) there to live and work. The combination of art history, travel, biography, cultural history, and the South Seas (means) it can appeal not only to readers interested in Gauguin, but also to people fascinated by Tahiti, Pacific history, expatriate artists, travel writing, and the cultural mythology surrounding the South Seas. Stephen Judah – An expert

Guys like Gauguin… is a fascinating subject for a book

The book's whole argument is about cultural erasure, how a place and its people get flattened into myth and then forgotten by everyone except the historians willing to dig them back up. … Rather than retelling Gauguin's own myth, (Simon Keable-Elliott asks) who tried to inherit it, and whether any of them actually could. Given (his) years as Head of Politics and running Model United Nations at Royal Russell, it makes sense that colonial escapism and entitlement would be the lens (he would) naturally reach for. Tobias Century - Discoverability Strategies Dominated

A meticulously researched, vividly told, and beautifully crafted book

The way (the author has) explored the lives and artistic work of more than a dozen American and European writers and artists who settled on Tahiti in the 1920s, and traced the creation of the island's paradise image from Captain Cook to Paul Gauguin, is nothing short of masterful. His ability to examine why these artists chose Tahiti, what they did, and whether they were truly "guys like Gauguin" is a testament to his deep knowledge of art, literature, and the cultural history of the South Pacific. His voice is not just unique; it is necessary, Rodney Hatfield – ‘spent the better part of his career analyzing the literary market’

Offering something deeper than a conventional history of art or literature

What especially stood out (was Simon Keable-Elliott’s) exploration of the writers and artists who formed part of the bohemian creative world of 1920s Tahiti. We… were immediately drawn to the way he examines their private struggles, creative rivalries, ambitions, and the pursuit of artistic idealism. His combination of meticulous archival research with vivid biographical sketches creates strong interest. The way he connects individual creative lives with French Polynesian cultural history, expatriate experience, artistic obsession, personal relationships, and the search for inspiration … strongly appealed to us. Jenn H Malac – Moderator of Reading Challenge Group

The past is a foreign country

Guys like Gauguin is a book that is not just history, but a mirror held up to the very act of discovery, of creation, of colonisation through art. That is not a simple narrative; it is a deep, thought provoking exploration that one reviewer called "utterly fascinating" and compared to Rory Stewart's Politics on the Edge. The book offers a fresh, unflinching look at the myth making that shaped a whole island. Hannah Young – A marketeer

Accessible and engaging

The book's consideration of the wider themes of artistic migration, colonial and postcolonial encounters, and the construction of paradise is equally compelling. The relationship between art and travel, the role of representation in shaping desire and destination, the tensions between myth and reality in the South Pacific, and the enduring legacy of Gauguin's vision for subsequent generations of artists all create an environment in which readers interested in art history, travel writing, Pacific studies, and cultural history seek resources that offer both narrative richness and analytical depth. Rebecca Phillips – careful campaign curator

I Really Enjoyed Discovering Guys Like Gauguin

What immediately caught my attention was the question at the heart of the book: why did so many writers and artists from America and Europe choose Tahiti in the 1920s? I found the group of artists and writers he explores especially fascinating. It becomes a story about the search for inspiration, escape, adventure, and the complicated reality behind an idealized paradise. Sheryl Woods – Bestselling Author

A fascinating exploration of Tahiti's remarkable artistic legacy

(The author’s) words have taken up permanent residence in my head, rent-free, and I fear the only cure is to share them with the world. There are countless readers across France, Spain, and Germany who are passionate about art history, literature, cultural history, and the lives of great creative minds readers who would find Guys like Gauguin: Writers and Artists in 1920s Tahiti both captivating and deeply enriching… The meticulous research and engaging storytelling illuminate a remarkable chapter of artistic and literary history, revealing why Tahiti became a beacon for creative minds from around the world. Rophie Scarlet - Translator

A fascinating look at the artists who followed the dream of Tahiti

Guys like Gauguin presents a fascinating intersection of art, literature, cultural history, travel, and the enduring mythology surrounding the South Pacific… It gives readers the context necessary to understand why the island exerted such extraordinary influence over the Western imagination. Carol D. Daniel - Book Marketing Expert

Meticulous research with clear crossover potential for history and art enthusiasts

What specifically stood out to me was how masterfully he traces the lineage of South Seas artistic myths, from Cook and Gauguin down to Nordhoff, Hall, and Jack Hastings, connecting non-fiction history with rich cultural exploration. Mercy Teexpert - Head of Amazon Optimization — WAJI Author Optimization Hub

Audiences will be fascinated

Audiences will be fascinated by the author’s exploration of how Tahiti was mythologized as a paradise and how a diverse group of 1920s writers and artists from Zane Grey to Nordhoff and Hall were drawn to the remote island following Gauguin’s legacy. Alex Hartley - Australian Literary Network

Interconnected stories of expatriate creatives

Guys like Gauguin is a fascinating, rich, and meticulously researched exploration of artistic escapism, cultural mythology, and the South Pacific's creative legacy. It traces the allure of Tahiti from early explorers to the 1920s boom, capturing the intriguing lives of the diverse writers and painters who sought inspiration in Gauguin's footsteps. Helen Juliana - Vermont Book Club

An exploration of Tahiti’s artistic legacy

The work goes beyond simply presenting biographies of these individuals; it examines the cultural narratives, artistic ambitions, and historical influences that shaped the way generations viewed Tahiti. The way Simon Keable-Elliott connects the earlier romanticized image of the South Pacific with the arrival of writers, painters, and creative figures who sought inspiration there creates a compelling opportunity for readers to reflect on the relationship between place, imagination, and artistic identity. The book examines cultural fascination, exploration, creative ambition, and the complex ways in which places become shaped by the stories created around them. Helen Israel - The Elevate Edge Reading Circle (TEERC)

-

What do all these reviews have in common? They were all written using AI. The quotes come from some of the many unsolicited messages from scammers email I have recently received. Book clubs asking whether I would like my book to be featured? Experts offering suggestions as to how I could better optimize the positioning of my book. Famous novelists who want to reach out keen to learn about my thought processes. These are not short emails encouraging me to reply ASAP. Many are very long and drawn out, 2,000 words or more, praising me and my book to the skies before making ‘helpful’ suggestions as to how I can sell thousands of copies. If I didn’t know better, I would think some people are spending a lot of time analysing my book and writing to me. But, of course, AI can draft a letter in seconds.

My initial idea for this article was to write about this avalanche of scam emails I have been receiving but a quick internet search showed me that I am not alone and some authors, just as annoyed as me, have got there first. Two articles I can recommend on the subject are by Anne R Allen (https://annerallen.com/2025/11/update-on-ai-book-marketing-scams/) and Victoria Strauss for Writer’s Beware (https://writerbeware.blog/2025/08/01/return-of-the-nigerian-prince-a-new-twist-on-book-marketing-scams/). Both explain the range of emails and the way the scammers are hoping to make money.

I initially found getting daily emails from these scammers annoying, but now I have decided to embrace the praise, to take any positive comments as a compliment and to treat them as if a review. Hence the list of comments above. Apologises to any genuine writers or organisations whose identity have been borrowed by these scammers – if you write to me, I would be happy to forward you the email addresses used.