Unless carry size/weight is a concern, I'd recommend a medium-sized revolver (K-frame) to a lesser skilled shooter, especially a middle-aged female.
The very attributes that make the small J-frames so handy are also the things that make them harder to shoot accurately.
J-frames, especially the aluminum-framed models, were once considered snub revolvers best suited to experienced regular revolver shooters,
and even then it required some adjustment and practice in order to shoot them accurately and controllably.
The soft shooting lead target wadcutters are favored by some recoil-averse folks, and there are some standard pressure jacketed loads that are more on the mild side, depending on the perceptions of the individual. I picked up several boxes of Hornday's CD standard pressure 110gr FTX, and it's a lot milder (to me) regarding muzzle blast than then standard pressure 110gr Winchester Silvertips and Federal Hydra-Shoks I initially used in a pristine M37-2DAO Airweight. It's such a mild-shooting, tack-driver of a load, I sometimes even use it in my +P capable J's (and .357 M&P 340's) instead of the +P loads I've usually carried for many years.
I'd think some trigger time at a range where someone could try out the guns they think interests them might be helpful. It's not like it's a rare thing that some folks who bought 5-shot .38SPL snubs haven't fired all of the first (only) box of ammunition they brought home with the gun, once they experienced the recoil of a few cylinder loads.
Me? I'm a longtime revolver shooter who owns more than half a dozen J's, most of which are Airweights or M&P's, and I've gone through many, many
cases of various loads over the years. It takes practice.