Ms. Chang seems to delight in the opportunity to 'discover' new facts about famous people. There is not much that is revelatory in Big Sister, Little Sister, Red Sister, but her account of the Song sisters takes the trio beyond the reductive assessment by which they are most widely known. She treats each as a unique individual who deserves to have her story told ... Ms. Chang admirably strives to flesh out the inner lives of the Song sisters and treat them as more than simply the wives of important men. Indeed, each woman could have been a formidable figure in her own right, had times and opportunities been different. From a distance, it might have appeared that the Song sisters were living a fairy tale. But at the end of Big Sister, Little Sister, Red Sister, the question remains: Did they all live happily ever after?

The book’s strongest point is its nuanced sympathy for the sisters ... A little oddly for a group biography of three remarkable women, however, the book sometimes veers off into male-dominated accounts of their context. The opening chapter focuses entirely on Sun Yat-sen; the second on the girls’ father. This periodic sidelining of the women expresses, of course, the paradox of their status (a paradox that applies to many other female Chinese politicians of the past 100 years). They were able to exercise influence only through association with powerful, deeply flawed men. The book would have benefited from more reflection on the tensions and limits faced by ambitious women in 20th-century China – and on the challenges this poses for telling their stories.

Deeply researched, Chang’s book is a riveting read, but at times her focus — on disproving her initial bland impression of the sisters — can feel narrow ... Chang’s desire to credit the sisters’ contributions can overshadow the crucial question of how Ching-ling came to be so deluded about Mao’s revolution and why May-ling and Ei-ling were ultimately unable to save the Nationalist regime, with its many financial and tactical advantages, from devouring itself.

Jung Chang has shown, in books such as Wild Swans, her instinct for a compelling story, and that instinct stands her in good stead here as she weaves her way through the complex history of China from the 1880s to the 1970s. But there are bigger arguments within the book that she is keen to explore. One is the role that liberal ideas played in early 20th-century China, and how much more powerful they were than the simplistic narrative of Communist victory in 1949 suggest ... At times, she risks overstating her case ... Yet her book is well worth reading, in particular for the way it shows how powerful women have helped to shape modern China. At a time when, 70 years after Mao’s victory, the country’s political leadership contains almost no prominent women at all, that is a particularly apposite message to hear.

In the hands of master storyteller and contrarian Jung Chang, the old tale finds a new interpretation by one who knows well the intricacies of family, influence, gender, and power in modern China ... These are well-trod subjects, but Chang’s telling of history holds some surprises ... Jung Chang has written a provocative view of the historical times that produced these extraordinary sisters, and a very personal window into a family that wielded incredible global influence during the most tumultuous period of the 20th century.

Big Sister, Little Sister, Red Sister is an engaging story of three influential sisters. But more than that, it’s a scathing critique of China’s 20th-century leaders and how, despite overthrowing the monarchy, none could accomplish what Sun set out to do all those years ago when he first spoke of democracy. One of the main reasons for this failure, Chang concludes, was Sun himself. And by this, Chang manages to write that book about him after all.

A new publication by Jung Chang is always an event, though those who have read and admired her previous books...will perhaps be disappointed by this chronicle of the Soong sisters ... This is not a straightforward feminist fable by any means and Jung Chang’s attitude toward the sisters, and her coverage of them often seems ambivalent ... As is to be expected, Jung Chang shows her usual expert grasp of the ebb and flow of historical events across several countries and continents, though it would be helpful for readers less conversant with these facts to have included a timeline of key historical events, and a cast of main characters ... In the early chapters the sisters move in and out of the action in a sometimes confusing manner, and it is not until later in the book where the spotlight is placed on individual sisters in turn, that it is possible to gain some more solid understanding of their characters and relationships ... The author’s apparent ambivalence about her subject matter makes for an often-bumpy ride, though, in fairness, she is perhaps just trying to give a rounded picture of the complex character and position of the sisters ... Many passages read like the author’s jotting down a few thoughts to be expanded upon later by a team of researchers, and groomed by an editor, but not to be released as is. The reader should be prepared for an extraordinary though long and very uneven ride.

Chang...seamlessly chronicles the lives and marriages of the Soong sisters in this captivating triple biography ... Chang’s artful descriptions track the sisters as they amass riches and influence, outwit opponents, and help to mold modern China and Taiwan. This juicy tale will satisfy readers interested in politics, world affairs, and family dynamics.

Chang’s story is worth attention on the strength of the three sisters’ notable doings, though her writing is often flat ... Of middling quality, but a story full of twists that follow the course of modern Chinese history.