Iyer's book is like a leisurely stroll through the city - sometimes in a tram, or on a bus, but most often, on foot - the schoolboy followed by the college student and finally the curious professional, always looking, questioning, seeking to understand. And as we witness the development of the city, we learn about the gradual metamorphosis of the new typologies that were developed here (for chawls, for apartments, for houses) and of the architects (Claude Batley, G B Mhatre and others) who helped create them. And perhaps reading through this book will help us understand what is going wrong with our city - and provide us with clues on how to reverse the grave (perhaps terminal) blunders we are currently making.