It would break my heart too. I've read The Lord of the Rings many times since I first discovered it (along with The Hobbit) around the age of nine. I wasn't the same person after reading it. When I met my wife, she had read The Hobbit (and loved it) but not The Lord of the Rings. She then read it, and like me was overwhelmed at its brilliance.

A couple of years later, when we went to see the first of Peter Jackson's films in December of 2001, we were both very nervous. Would he do Tolkien justice? He did. We both emerged from the cinema absolutely elated, having felt as though we'd spent time in the company of many old friends. It was a truly wonderful experience, and a lovely, lovely bonding moment from the early years of our marriage.