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If Only We Could See: Reimagining Creativity, Compassion, and Calling through the Extraordinary Life of Lilias Trotter
“God only knows the endless possibilities that lie enfolded in each of us.” - Lilias Trotter
In the late 19th century, Lilias Trotter stood at the threshold of artistic fame, her extraordinary talent praised by the renowned critic John Ruskin. Yet, at the height of her promise, she made a radical choice that would define the course of her life. Turning away from worldly recognition and social convention, she forged her own path—one that led her through the roughest streets of London and, ultimately, to the deserts of North Africa. There, her artistic and spiritual journeys intertwined as she expanded the many-colored canvas of her creativity to embrace not only the sweeping vistas of the Sahara, but also the lives of the Arab people she loved.
Blending biography, personal engagement, and theological reflection, Trafton takes readers on an intimate journey with Lily as her friends knew her – a visionary who saw the world with an artist’s eye and a missionary’s heart, and whose imaginative empathy and creative compassion transformed the lives of those she encountered. More than the story of one remarkable woman, this book is an invitation to experience the beauty of creation with fresh wonder, to look at our neighbors through new lenses, and to discover what “beautiful possible life” awaits each one of us as we follow the call of the Divine Artist.
In the late 19th century, Lilias Trotter stood at the threshold of artistic fame, her extraordinary talent praised by the renowned critic John Ruskin. Yet, at the height of her promise, she made a radical choice that would define the course of her life. Turning away from worldly recognition and social convention, she forged her own path—one that led her through the roughest streets of London and, ultimately, to the deserts of North Africa. There, her artistic and spiritual journeys intertwined as she expanded the many-colored canvas of her creativity to embrace not only the sweeping vistas of the Sahara, but also the lives of the Arab people she loved.
Blending biography, personal engagement, and theological reflection, Trafton takes readers on an intimate journey with Lily as her friends knew her – a visionary who saw the world with an artist’s eye and a missionary’s heart, and whose imaginative empathy and creative compassion transformed the lives of those she encountered. More than the story of one remarkable woman, this book is an invitation to experience the beauty of creation with fresh wonder, to look at our neighbors through new lenses, and to discover what “beautiful possible life” awaits each one of us as we follow the call of the Divine Artist.
320 pages, Hardcover
Published April 14, 2026
About the author
Jennifer Trafton
17 books245 followersJENNIFER TRAFTON is the author of The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic, which was a nominee for Tennessee’s Volunteer State Book Award and the National Homeschool Book award. Henry and the Chalk Dragon arose from her lifelong love of art and her personal quest for the courage to be an artist. When she’s not writing or drawing, she teaches creative writing classes and workshops in a variety of schools, libraries, and homeschool groups, as well as online classes to kids around the world. She lives in a 150-year-old farmhouse in Nashville, Tennessee, along with her husband, an energetic border collie, a miniature rooster, an assortment of chickens and ducks, and a ghost who haunts the staircase.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
June 1, 2026
3.5 rounded up to 4.
I have not read much about Lilias Trotter, but her life was truly extraordinary. Her story reminded me of Eric Liddell, who also put aside great talent to become a missionary.
I appreciated the emphasis in this book on beauty directing us to love God and others. Lilias found metaphors in every corner of creation and saw how God might be speaking to us through it.
Unfortunately, what didn’t work for me was that the writing was very dry and consisted of many verbatim quotes from Lilias. I felt the same way reading Shadow of the Almighty about Jim Elliot. I guess this is just personal preference; I prefer my nonfiction to be told in a more narrative style.
If you’re looking for a book to learn more about Lilias Trotter, this would be a good one.
Thank you to Netgalley and B&H Publishers for the advanced review copy. All opinions are my own.
I have not read much about Lilias Trotter, but her life was truly extraordinary. Her story reminded me of Eric Liddell, who also put aside great talent to become a missionary.
I appreciated the emphasis in this book on beauty directing us to love God and others. Lilias found metaphors in every corner of creation and saw how God might be speaking to us through it.
Unfortunately, what didn’t work for me was that the writing was very dry and consisted of many verbatim quotes from Lilias. I felt the same way reading Shadow of the Almighty about Jim Elliot. I guess this is just personal preference; I prefer my nonfiction to be told in a more narrative style.
If you’re looking for a book to learn more about Lilias Trotter, this would be a good one.
Thank you to Netgalley and B&H Publishers for the advanced review copy. All opinions are my own.
June 18, 2026
I spent 2+ years studying Lilias Trotter in graduate school. I'm honored to be able to review this book over at TGC. Read my full review here!
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/re...
Eleven years ago, I woke with the sunrise in the Sahara, a few miles south of Tozeur, Tunisia. As I traveled by camel and camped in the desert, I got a taste of how Lilias Trotter traveled throughout North Africa, itinerating by camel to remote towns that had no gospel access.
Lilias was an artist and a missionary. Her legacy includes innovative missionary methods, many beautiful paintings, and dozens of written works, including 40 years of daily journals rich with details of daily life, mission struggles, and her inner life with God. My camel ride, following Lilias’s path decades later, convinced me of the courage and endurance she showed through her life and work as a missionary.
In If Only We Could See: Reimagining Creativity, Compassion, and Calling Through the Extraordinary Life of Lilias Trotter, Jennifer Trafton—an author, illustrator, and former managing editor of Christian History & Biography magazine—goes beyond biography to extend readers an invitation to meet a new friend. Trafton’s goal in writing this missionary biography is “not, ultimately, that we would love Lilias, but that we would love what she loved” (12). It was Lilias’s love of God that drew her to take the gospel to those who hadn’t heard it before.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/re...
Eleven years ago, I woke with the sunrise in the Sahara, a few miles south of Tozeur, Tunisia. As I traveled by camel and camped in the desert, I got a taste of how Lilias Trotter traveled throughout North Africa, itinerating by camel to remote towns that had no gospel access.
Lilias was an artist and a missionary. Her legacy includes innovative missionary methods, many beautiful paintings, and dozens of written works, including 40 years of daily journals rich with details of daily life, mission struggles, and her inner life with God. My camel ride, following Lilias’s path decades later, convinced me of the courage and endurance she showed through her life and work as a missionary.
In If Only We Could See: Reimagining Creativity, Compassion, and Calling Through the Extraordinary Life of Lilias Trotter, Jennifer Trafton—an author, illustrator, and former managing editor of Christian History & Biography magazine—goes beyond biography to extend readers an invitation to meet a new friend. Trafton’s goal in writing this missionary biography is “not, ultimately, that we would love Lilias, but that we would love what she loved” (12). It was Lilias’s love of God that drew her to take the gospel to those who hadn’t heard it before.
June 11, 2026
This is a tour-de-force biography, not only of Lilias Trotter specifically but within the genre as a whole. And, it's brilliantly produced (I bought and ended up reading most of the physical hardback in lieu of the eARC, so I could see the pictures, etc.); it's worth buying on production value alone, with glossy pages and incredibly reproduced images of Trotter's artwork.
Trotter lived quite a life and left quite a legacy, and I was eager to read this--especially after finding out that she was an inspiration for my grandfather, who was a missionary overseas himself for many years. Trotter's story is fascinating, and I learned so much about her, her art, her heart for Algeria, and more.
A treasure of a book, in every sense.
I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Trotter lived quite a life and left quite a legacy, and I was eager to read this--especially after finding out that she was an inspiration for my grandfather, who was a missionary overseas himself for many years. Trotter's story is fascinating, and I learned so much about her, her art, her heart for Algeria, and more.
A treasure of a book, in every sense.
I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
April 26, 2026
“What makes an artist an artist? The mere fact that she draws, or paints, or otherwise creates something beautiful? The genetic inheritance of a certain kind of talent? The path she takes, or the product she makes? These are the questions that lie at the heart of this book, for I believe that Lily’s story invites us to dig deep into what being an artist means, at its core.”
Lilias Trotter was a spiritual botanist; “Her soul, like the world before her, bled rainbows…She had an iridescence to her like the pearly shells she loved along the beach, reflecting the light in her own particular way…The same artistic delight that gushed out a cataract of colors whenever Lily painted or described the natural world overflowed into her view of people as well…She made artists of those around her. They forever saw the world differently because they had known the wideness and lavishness of Lily's love…For what else was art to Lily but the outward bloom of her soul?”
“Lilias Trotter's story is that of an artist who found that a paintbrush wasn't enough to fill the canvas she'd been given—she needed written words and silent woods, restaurants and camels, parables and printing presses and deep, varied friendships to craft her life's work, her masterpiece. It's the story of a lover of beauty who went on a long journey that led her ever deeper into beauty's manifold forms—in mountains, in deserts, in flowers, in faces, in the poetry of God's providence. It's the story of a woman of deep devotion who spent her life exploring, practicing, refining, questioning, and listening to what prayer is all about and what a life lived in prayer looks like—an act every bit as creative as a painting.”
“Lily's legacy lives on not only in art and parable, but in the hearts of those who still carry her vision: to serve humbly, to love wisely, and to see deeply. When I hear all these stories of hidden seeds beginning to grow and blossom and bear fruit, I know she would look out at our chaotic modern world and see glimmers of the Dawn.”
Lilias Trotter was a spiritual botanist; “Her soul, like the world before her, bled rainbows…She had an iridescence to her like the pearly shells she loved along the beach, reflecting the light in her own particular way…The same artistic delight that gushed out a cataract of colors whenever Lily painted or described the natural world overflowed into her view of people as well…She made artists of those around her. They forever saw the world differently because they had known the wideness and lavishness of Lily's love…For what else was art to Lily but the outward bloom of her soul?”
“Lilias Trotter's story is that of an artist who found that a paintbrush wasn't enough to fill the canvas she'd been given—she needed written words and silent woods, restaurants and camels, parables and printing presses and deep, varied friendships to craft her life's work, her masterpiece. It's the story of a lover of beauty who went on a long journey that led her ever deeper into beauty's manifold forms—in mountains, in deserts, in flowers, in faces, in the poetry of God's providence. It's the story of a woman of deep devotion who spent her life exploring, practicing, refining, questioning, and listening to what prayer is all about and what a life lived in prayer looks like—an act every bit as creative as a painting.”
“Lily's legacy lives on not only in art and parable, but in the hearts of those who still carry her vision: to serve humbly, to love wisely, and to see deeply. When I hear all these stories of hidden seeds beginning to grow and blossom and bear fruit, I know she would look out at our chaotic modern world and see glimmers of the Dawn.”
June 11, 2026
Overall, a beautifully written, thorough examination of Lillias Trotter’s life. As someone who served in North Africa, so much of Trafton’s descriptions hit quite close to home and brought back vivid memories of my years there.
The only detractors were a tendency for the author to add unnecessary personal details (a bit jarring and seemed irrelevant at times), and a few times where the authors’s views (particularly on things like ordination of women, but also a few other things) diverged from Lilly’s, and it seemed like the author was pushing her views a bit much.
But overall, I loved all the original quotes and vivid descriptions, and the way the book helped me understand other significant events that influenced Lilly. The reflection on what gave Lilly’s life value was so good. So I’d recommend this book, with the caveat that the author’s views do occasionally differ from mine in a few key areas.
The only detractors were a tendency for the author to add unnecessary personal details (a bit jarring and seemed irrelevant at times), and a few times where the authors’s views (particularly on things like ordination of women, but also a few other things) diverged from Lilly’s, and it seemed like the author was pushing her views a bit much.
But overall, I loved all the original quotes and vivid descriptions, and the way the book helped me understand other significant events that influenced Lilly. The reflection on what gave Lilly’s life value was so good. So I’d recommend this book, with the caveat that the author’s views do occasionally differ from mine in a few key areas.
April 29, 2026
I have known of Lilias Trotter for 20 years. I was so happy to get this new biography. Her life was more than a sacrifice of her art. Instead her life was a work of art. I highly recommend this book.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
As a lover of beauty and the inner life, this book was an absolute delight. I had encountered Lily’s missionary work before, but If Only We Could See presents her story in an entirely new light—one that feels intimate, imaginative, and deeply human. Lily felt like a kindred spirit to me, with a temperament reminiscent of Anne of Green Gables: attentive to beauty, alive to wonder, and quietly courageous in her convictions.
What surprised me most is how cosy this book felt. I don’t usually experience books that way—I tend to think of them as useful, instructive, or thought-provoking rather than comforting—but this was, without exaggeration, the cosiest book I’ve read in decades. There is something profoundly soothing about being invited into Lily’s way of seeing the world: her attentiveness to nature, her reverence for imagination, and her conviction that our souls need room for gladness. The book lingers like a cup of tea taken slowly, teaching you to pause and “smell the roses” without ever feeling sentimental or shallow.
Jennifer Trafton does Lily full justice, writing with clarity and tenderness about her imaginative faith and her remarkably ahead-of-her-time approach to mission work. Lily understood that Christianity was never meant to be a cultural export packaged in Western forms. Instead, she listened, observed, and adapted—honouring local beauty, customs, and rhythms of life. Her belief that imagination’s first duty is “to inquire into what God has made” shaped everything she did, from evangelism to hospitality to prayer itself. Beauty, for Lily, was not decorative—it was healing, instructive, and essential.
This book also deepened my understanding of imagination as something that must be nourished by great art, good books, nature, and prayer—by “thinking God’s thoughts after Him,” as George MacDonald put it. I loved the way prayer is portrayed not as striving upward, but as learning to echo what God has already begun, joining in a harmony rather than forcing an answer.
By the end, I found myself longing not only to visit yet another country because of Lily, but also to live a little more attentively, gently, and imaginatively. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who loves beauty, values imagination, or longs to learn how to see the world more truly—and more tenderly.
A heartfelt thank you to NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity to review If Only We Could See by Jennifer Trafton. It was a truly delightful and enriching read, and I’m so glad to have experienced Lily’s story in such a thoughtful way.
What surprised me most is how cosy this book felt. I don’t usually experience books that way—I tend to think of them as useful, instructive, or thought-provoking rather than comforting—but this was, without exaggeration, the cosiest book I’ve read in decades. There is something profoundly soothing about being invited into Lily’s way of seeing the world: her attentiveness to nature, her reverence for imagination, and her conviction that our souls need room for gladness. The book lingers like a cup of tea taken slowly, teaching you to pause and “smell the roses” without ever feeling sentimental or shallow.
Jennifer Trafton does Lily full justice, writing with clarity and tenderness about her imaginative faith and her remarkably ahead-of-her-time approach to mission work. Lily understood that Christianity was never meant to be a cultural export packaged in Western forms. Instead, she listened, observed, and adapted—honouring local beauty, customs, and rhythms of life. Her belief that imagination’s first duty is “to inquire into what God has made” shaped everything she did, from evangelism to hospitality to prayer itself. Beauty, for Lily, was not decorative—it was healing, instructive, and essential.
This book also deepened my understanding of imagination as something that must be nourished by great art, good books, nature, and prayer—by “thinking God’s thoughts after Him,” as George MacDonald put it. I loved the way prayer is portrayed not as striving upward, but as learning to echo what God has already begun, joining in a harmony rather than forcing an answer.
By the end, I found myself longing not only to visit yet another country because of Lily, but also to live a little more attentively, gently, and imaginatively. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who loves beauty, values imagination, or longs to learn how to see the world more truly—and more tenderly.
A heartfelt thank you to NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity to review If Only We Could See by Jennifer Trafton. It was a truly delightful and enriching read, and I’m so glad to have experienced Lily’s story in such a thoughtful way.
May 17, 2026
I had Lilias confused with Lilian Thrasher. Well, similar name and both were in N. Africa. Both really served and loved people.
I listed this book as memoir because JT shared things about her life. It is not a straight-forward biography rather she shares about how Lilias saw God in nature and circumstances. She was a painter as well, very talented apparently. When she was 35, she took off for Algeria with some other women. The women who went to difficult places then and now truly are an inspiration. The author wrote beautifully, capturing Lilias' outlook on life. She quoted a lot of Lilias' writings. I found some of those on Hoopla and I am going to read some of them. Lilias reminds me of Ron G, a good friend who see God in nature and is always referring to the beauty of the earth as well as the love of God for people.
I listed this book as memoir because JT shared things about her life. It is not a straight-forward biography rather she shares about how Lilias saw God in nature and circumstances. She was a painter as well, very talented apparently. When she was 35, she took off for Algeria with some other women. The women who went to difficult places then and now truly are an inspiration. The author wrote beautifully, capturing Lilias' outlook on life. She quoted a lot of Lilias' writings. I found some of those on Hoopla and I am going to read some of them. Lilias reminds me of Ron G, a good friend who see God in nature and is always referring to the beauty of the earth as well as the love of God for people.
June 2, 2026
“As Lily neared the end, she opened her eyes and looked out the window of her bedroom. “A chariot and six horses!” she said.
“You are seeing beautiful things?” asked someone.
“Yes.” she said. “Many, many beautiful things.”” - page 266
What an amazing exploration of one life given fully to the Lord! I love how Lilias Trotter had the same imaginative vision we mainly attribute to the Inkling giants like Tolkien and Lewis and MacDonald, but she took that same sacramental vision and embodied it in the practical ministry outside her door and then into cross cultural missions.
It’s easy to believe that creativity and artistic skills must be laid down entirely when you say yes to practical missions or ministry, but Lily’s life proved that artistic vision can fuse with down to earth service in an incredibly potent and beautiful way.
I want to see and serve the way Lily did ❤️
“You are seeing beautiful things?” asked someone.
“Yes.” she said. “Many, many beautiful things.”” - page 266
What an amazing exploration of one life given fully to the Lord! I love how Lilias Trotter had the same imaginative vision we mainly attribute to the Inkling giants like Tolkien and Lewis and MacDonald, but she took that same sacramental vision and embodied it in the practical ministry outside her door and then into cross cultural missions.
It’s easy to believe that creativity and artistic skills must be laid down entirely when you say yes to practical missions or ministry, but Lily’s life proved that artistic vision can fuse with down to earth service in an incredibly potent and beautiful way.
I want to see and serve the way Lily did ❤️
June 8, 2026
Absolutely gorgeous writing from start to finish. Jennifer Trafton has created a jewel among books. She has also vividly painted us a picture of a fascinating woman, Lilias Trotter, and in the process has revealed beautiful facets of her own life as she worked through Lilias'. I came out of the book refreshed and challenged by this story of a woman who lived her faith fully and authentically and joyfully, with patience and wisdom, and whose artistic gift helped her truly see those around her. This is a book for any Christian artist who struggles with the tension of wondering how their gift is important in the kingdom of God.
June 13, 2026
Like a Hidden Treasure
I am so glad I found this book. Through it, I have been blessed to walk alongside a woman I had never heard of, LiliasTrotter, and to discover a kindred soul, a fellow lover of art, lover of prayer and lover of souls in need. There is a lot to discover and reflect on in her life. I only wish we could have had more of her pictures reproduced in the book--although I made good use of the internet to search for what she drew. As a former Charlotte Mason homeschool mom I was delighted to see how the shared influence of John Ruskin led to different applications in the life of these two women.
I am so glad I found this book. Through it, I have been blessed to walk alongside a woman I had never heard of, LiliasTrotter, and to discover a kindred soul, a fellow lover of art, lover of prayer and lover of souls in need. There is a lot to discover and reflect on in her life. I only wish we could have had more of her pictures reproduced in the book--although I made good use of the internet to search for what she drew. As a former Charlotte Mason homeschool mom I was delighted to see how the shared influence of John Ruskin led to different applications in the life of these two women.
June 8, 2026
The more I learn about Lilias Trotter the more I am glad to “know” her. This biography/reflection really helped move her from “unrealistic old time saint” to “real and interesting person I can learn from”. Trafton interweaves biography with reflections on faith, art, and imagination in good ways. I only wish there would have been space and money to put lots more of Trotter’s artwork embedded in the text so I could see what I was reading about.
June 12, 2026
I was unfamiliar with the story of Lillias Trotter until I read this book. She was a talented artist as well as a missionary at the end of the 19th century. The author takes a reverent tone when sharing about Trotter’s life. I appreciated learning about her art and faith.
I received a preview copy from NetGalley.
I received a preview copy from NetGalley.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews