As with most things I have an "all encompassing" sort of thought on what the Goddess is. She is all, she is old, young, Spring, and Winter. She takes form in all that we see that may be linked to the feminine, even those things that may not be altogether obvious.
In the event that you follow a specific tradition, I would suggest looking to it for references for the Goddess. If you are exploring beyond your "comfort zone" then you should follow your intuition with where it guides you to find Her.
I believe the author brings up a very valid and important point when she speaks of not just treating spirituality like a drugstore. From my standpoint I am most generally characterized as an Eclectic Pagan and we in general tend to not be so strict with whom we pray to and what cultures we worship from. However, I do try to always respect the culture that I am "taking" from and honor the Gods in ways that are appropriate to that culture and understand that others may disagree with my use of the culture regardless. I have been graced with having been "called" to each of the goddesses that I work with, so it's less of a concern that I am merely "picking a goddess because".
While I also generally work with the Goddess as a three-part construct, the introduction to the four-part construct mentioned is definitely interesting. Now one could argue that the issue of sexuality is not, in fact, left out of the three-part system as the distinguishment between a Maiden and Mother most notably is virginity and having had sex. However, this viewpoint tends to lend sex as only for procreation. In that sense all Maidens should be virgins, and all non virgins should at the very least be Mothers. Given human biology however, that frankly just does not happen all the time. And then there is the fact that many females have sexual relations long before they become mothers or before they really should become mothers. While the having of sex isn't necessarily a bad thing, the resulting child at an age too early could be (and often is) problematical. Then there is the concept of those who are "mothering" without biologically being a mother. They may well be still in their "Maiden" years, but that does not mean that they are not in fact imbibing the role.
I think the author's mentioning and connection of the "Mother" to death is also very interesting. While I generally assign death as being related to the "Crone" (who is nearing the end of Her life and knows the mortality of the body all too well) it is really and truly from the "Mother" that this possibility even comes.
Touching on the Goddess as Lover, the author also brings up the point that this form of the goddess is not just about physical love (sex) or love to others. She concerns all forms of connection, including the attraction to intangible things, like memories, and our connection to ourselves.
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