I just picked up a Taurus .38 Special revolver for my wife.
I took her to the range and had her shooting well with both the revolver and a small auto that I have. Her preference? The revolver.
The Taurus revolvers are pretty much good copies of S&W revolver.
Just less expensive
I didn't encourage her one way or the other, I just let her shoot a bunch of calibers, makes, models, and manufacturers products until she found something she can control and is comfortable with.
Imagine my shock when she settled on the Smith 629. I didn't even tell her what caliber she was shooting when she tried it. Recoil isn't a problem for her, although she was suprised when I informed her that she was shooting full power .44 Magnum rounds.
"I don't see what the big deal is." she said.
"Neither do I honey."
Now when she pulls it out at the range she becomes pretty popular.
L
I have a Taurus .38 snubbie, bought it brand new last summer, and it is very simple to load, fire, clean, etc.