A great way to make the homepage for your blog much cleaner looking.   Download the plugin “Limit Post Options”

1. Login to Wordpress Admin, then under “Plugins” choose “Add New“
2. Search for “Limit Post Options“
3. Install and Activate the Plugin.
4. Go to “Settings” and choose “Limit Post Options” -  In here you can set the character limit, word count limit, and more.  I recommend you use the default “First Paragraph” then choose “home” so it will only effect the homepage of your blog.

Visit the plugin site for upgrades and to learn about the creator.
WP Limit Posts Automatically