Well, I will recommend a .22LR as well. The first handgun I bought myself was a S&W 629 .44 Magnum with a 6" barrel. Not something I suggest for somebody without a lot of experience.
The .22LR is far, far easier to learn with, but less forgiving of mistakes. If you can shoot a .22 well, you can shoot anything well. Never let anybody tell you that a certain gun "shoots well for a .22". A good .22 will outshoot 95% (or more) of the folks shooting it. A Ruger 22/45 Mk III with the bull barrel and adjustable sights will shoot really well, cost <$300 and ammo is cheap, which encourages practice.
Shooting big guns is just like shooting the little guns, once you have the fundamentals drilled to become second-nature. It's all about front-sight and trigger squeeze.
Second choice would be a 4" .357 revolver of some sort, as .38s in a medium .357 are generally far from too much gun for anybody. Then maybe a 9mm in a Glock 19 or similarly-sized pistol. The 1911 is a good gun as well, but IMO not a beginner-friendly firearm. I've seen too many people miss the thumb safety at timed matches.