At the time Stella Blake meets Richard Fallon, she is nearly broke. Her semi-famous father, who has always neglected her, is dying. Her job at a San Francisco newspaper is only tentative. Richard, on the other hand, is wildly successful as a commercial artist, even if both his marriages to bosomy blondes have failed. Of course, he immediately notes that Stella is not his type, being small, dark, and exotic-looking. For her part, Stella thinks Richard is far too sure of himself, and vain. Naturally they fall in love. Theirs is an almost perfect relationship -- except for the violent fights followed by passionate reconciliations. And there is Stella's suddenly ascending career...and a shimmering San Francisco whose dark side is AIDS.<P>Something is terribly amiss with this golden couple, something one of them is only beginning to suspect. In <I>Almost Perfect,</I> Alice Adams creates her most searing account of modern relationships when illusions crack, secrets seep out, and women face the consequences of falling madly in love.