I guess I react more to muzzle blast than recoil, since I dislike shooting 9 mm or .357, probably because of their sharper "crack". It might come from being mostly a shotgunner until I was about 35. Their recoil can be pretty stout, but it's more of a shove than a kick and their muzzle blast is not nearly so sharp. That's aside from occasional sessions with my Grandfather-in-law's .22 short Browning rifle. That's why I was careful to say "perceived recoil" the .45 has more muzzle momentum and that should lead to stronger recoil, all else being equal, which it's not of course.
There is a difference in the "quality" of the recoil between smaller calibers such as 9mm and .380 (9mm kurz) and the .45 ACP. Your characterisation of it as more a shove than a kick is IMNSHO right on the money. I find the "shove" of the .45 (maybe because the recoil is spread out over a longer time - even though we're talking milliseconds) much less annoying than the sharp "kick" or punch of a .380. The .380 also tends to twist in my hand (even the extension on the magazine doesn't really give enough grip) while the .45 pushes straight up and back. As I said before, the PPK's only real redeeming quality (aside from its meticulous German workmanship) is its small size and concealability.