I have a Colt Delta Elite (10mm) which is the .40's big brother in the basic 1911A1 platform. I can assure you, even with full power loads (which come close the to .41 magnum revolver cartridge) perceived recoil is no more "violent' than a .45 ACP in the same pistol. For me, the perceived recoil is different, and it stands to reason given Newton's Third Law. The 10mm delivers a sharper, snappier recoil while the .45 comes in a slower, rolling wave, and again for me, it's actually easier to keep the 10 on target during rapid fire than it is with a .45 ACP.
My nightstand piece and range workhorse (the weapon I fire more than any other) is a CZ75B in .40, and the last adjective I would ever use to describe its recoil is, "violent." Having said that, it has a robust steel frame and excellent ergonomics (surprisingly so for an eastern bloc design, which admittedly borrowed heavily from the Browning P35) which both go far to dampening felt recoil. Of course in a plastic weapon with poor ergonomics, the .40's felt recoil will be substantially heavier.
Recently purchased CZ P-07 and P-09 models on advice of a competitive shooter. Seems a lot of people are choosing these models for their good trigger in both double action and single action modes, not to forget capacity of 16 and 19 rounds respectively. Although I love my Glock 19, I have never felt confident in carrying it with a bullet in the chamber. Stories of accidental discharges by Glock owners reinforce that lack of confidence. The P-07 and P-09 models have a double action first shot at about 8.5 pounds followed by single action at about 4 pounds. I feel more confident about avoiding accidental discharges with this pistol. So far I have no complaints about this gun although use is limited and time will tell if it lives up to my expectations.