I remember watching a History Channel show a couple of years ago where a WW I veteran was saying how difficult it was to shoot a 1911. He concluded with "try it, you'll see". This goes along with the myths of about the gun will slam your hand and any hit on the enemy will knock him flat.
I don't like heavy recoil and have found a 1911 is more pleasant to shoot than many pistols I've tried (like try a .380 for hand stinging!). My wife, 5'4", 118#, tried a 1911 and liked it better than a .38 revolver or even a .22 Ruger.
So, yeah, it sounds like your experience is typical. Get people away from the myths and they will quite often be very surprised at the comfort of a big ol' ".45 automatic".